Mortal Kombat 3
by ProudNintendoFan
Summary: For centuries, Earth has used Mortal Kombat to defend itself from Outworld. Frustrated at the loss in the Mortal Kombat tournament and the Outworld tournament, Kahn enacts a plan that began 10,000 years again.
1. Invasion

Mortal Kombat 3

The realm of Edenia was truly a beautiful realm, surrounded by vast trees and water. The realm was ruled by its king, Jerrod, along with his beautiful wife, Sindel. At Edenian Palace, word spread of an impending birth. At the palace, the cries of life erupted and a beautiful baby girl cried out through the empty walls.

The baby was wrapped in a white blanket as the doctor took her over to her father. "Congratulations sire, you have a girl."

The king smiled warmly as he took the baby into his arms, the girl immediately stopped crying as she looked into her father's eyes. Jerrod turned to his wife, who lay bed-ridden, exhausted from going into labor.

"Look, Sindel. We have a daughter." Jerrod said, happily. Bringing the girl down close enough for Sindel to see, who smiled back at the child.

"She's beautiful Jerrod, what should we name her?"

"Hmm," the king said, in deep thought. "Kitana. Yes, that will be her name, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. What do you think?"

"I like it." Sindel said, smiling warmly as she took the baby in her arms.

Just then, the general for the Edenian armies entered, he was a tall man, and an old friend of the king's. His name was Derek, who too had a child. It had been arranged by the two men that should Jerrod have a daughter, she was arranged to marry Derek's son, Rain.

"Derek, it is good to see you." Jerrod said, standing up and walking towards his friend, who was clad in armor, he was Edenian's finest knight. Derek kneeled down before the king, who shook his head.

"No need to do that, my old friend." Jerrod said, as Derek stood up, the two embraced each other as Jerrod lead Derek over to the bed-ridden Sindel. "This is my daughter, Kitana."

Derek stood for a long moment in awe and started at the baby. "She's beautiful, Jerrod."

"Yes, she is. She and your son will be the next king and queen of Edenia."

"Sire! Sire!"

The voice shouted through the palace walls as a guard made his way into the royal chamber. "Sire! Sire!" The guard ran out of breath and started panting in place, but was able to salute to both his superior and his king.

"What is it soldier?" Derek asked.

"Word has reached us. Outworld has won Edenia in Mortal Kombat. Shao Kahn is coming to take Edenia!"

A wave of shock ushered over the room. Jerrod gave a look of anger and despair. "Damn you, Kahn…" he whispered softly. "Derek, prepare your soldiers. I will not let that madman take my kingdom and people without a fight!"

"Yes sire!" Derek said; a hint of urgency was in his voice. "Move it! We must defend the palace!"

Derek and his fellow guardsmen quickly exited out of the room as Jerrod turned to Sindel, staring into eyes for a moment before turning to the guards that remained. "Take my wife and daughter to safety!"

"But Jerrod…" Sindel started.

"No time to argue, Sindel."

"But what about you?"

"I have to stay, I myself must challenge Kahn to Mortal Kombat to save our realm from his evil. Now, you two must go! Now, you have to leave!"

Sindel struggled to stand, exhausted as she was, she knew that she couldn't just wait helplessly in bed for Kahn's forces to storm the palace, her husband was right, they were short on time.

"Sindel, whatever happens, just remember that I love you…" There was nothing else that could said; as he gave his wife a kiss on her forehead, he then tilting down he gave his daughter a kiss as well. "I'm sorry that I didn't have much time to hold you, daughter."

That was the last time either of them would ever see Jerrod.

In the fields of Edenia, portals opened all around, the people fled in terror as the Outworld armies emerged forth; almost as though they had come from Hell itself. Then in the midst of the chaos, as homes were burned and villages destroyed, came Outworld's ruler; Shao Kahn…

Shao Kahn was enormously tall, his face hidden by his mask, all who looked into it saw one thing: Death.

The Edenian Knights charged bravely into battle, but they were slowly being overwhelmed by Outworld's forces. Soon, in no time, they were nearing the palace gates. Derek ordered the gates to be raised, but some well time arrow strikes struck the guards in their necks, as they fell lifelessly to the ground.

Soon the Outworld armies were at the gates, Kahn himself leading the charge, as he prepared to cross the gate to the palace, Derek stood before him.

"Halt! In the name of King Jerrod, I will not allow you to enter the palace!" Derek said, as he drew his sword from its cover. "For Edenia, I challenge you to Mortal Kombat!"

Kahn smiled, as one of the soldiers offered him his sword. Kahn took the sword and pointed it at Derek. "I accept."

So the two clashed swords, the sounds of steel echoing throughout the sky; as their blades crossed, Derek was quickly becoming overwhelmed. Though skilled he was; he knew he was no match for one as strong as Shao Kahn. His bravery was to be commended, but bravery does not win a fight alone unfortunately. After a few moments of battle, Derek's head had been severed by Kahn's blade, falling into the moat that surrounded the palace. Blood stained the peaceful water.

Jerrod had seen it all; the death of his best friend was nearly overwhelming. "No, Derek… you murderer!"

Kahn turned to face Jerrod. "Ah, Jerrod." He said, throwing his blood stained sword aside and putting up the sword that Derek had used to fight him. "I was hoping to get a chance to kill you today."

"It ends here, Kahn. I will not let you take Edenia for your evil purposes! I will stop you! For my people, for my land, for my family and in Derek's memory; **I CHALLENGE YOU TO MORTAL KOMBAT!**" Jerrod bellowed.

"I eagerly accept." Kahn said. "But first, let's get this trash off of the battlefield." With that, Kahn kicked Derek's body into the moat.

Jerrod and Kahn clashed swords, the sounds of steel once again echoing throughout the air. Their battle took them into the palace itself. Edenia's soldiers were falling everywhere, this battle will decide of Edenia. Their battle took them up the stairwell. Blade-by-blade, they appeared equal. But Jerrod was slowly tiring; he desperately tried to find any weak spot in Kahn's parries.

As they reached the top of the stairwell, Kahn undoubtedly had the advantage. For a long while, the two clashed with their weapons of steel. But eventually, in an instant, Jerrod had been disarmed. Jerrod collapses to his knees as Kahn pointed his weapon at the king's throat.

"Before you die Jerrod, I just want to tell you. Sindel will now be my wife, she'll forget all about you, it is me who she will love and you will fade out of history, never to be remembered. Any last words?"

"Yes, you may strike me down, you may take Edenia today. You may conquer countless other realms, but I know that one day; a warrior will rise up to defeat you in Mortal Kombat. Our wisemen have foreseen this; you _will _be defeated one day and Edenia **WILL BE FREE!**"

These were Jerrod's last guards as Kahn slashed the king across the throat, blood spill from Jerrod's neck as he collapses onto the ground. As Jerrod lay in a pool of blood, Kahn extended his hand and from Jerrod's body came his soul, now it was belonged to Shao Kahn…

Sindel had no chance to run, for she was quickly surrounded by Kahn's soldiers; she sank to the ground, holding her daughter, who cried out in fear. As Sindel desperately looked for a way to escape, she saw Shao Kahn walking towards her. This could only mean that Jerrod had fallen.

"No… No! Stay away! Get away from us!" Sindel called out in fear.

But Kahn just walked forward, until he was inches from Sindel. He reached down and grabbed the baby that Sindel held in her arms by the blanket. Sindel tried to hold on to her precious child; but Kahn was too strong.

"No! Let her go! You monster! Let her go!"

"Such a beautiful girl." Kahn said, through the baby's cries. "She will make a lovely daughter."

From that day forward; Sindel became Kahn's wife, while Kitana became his daughter. They then ruled Outworld at Shao Kahn's side. Unable to bear this life and driven to insanity over the grief of Jerrod's death; Sindel committed suicide not long after. Like Jerrod before her, her soul was devoured by Shao Kahn. Devastated by her loss, Kahn was determined to have her resurrected. Yet Jerod's words did occasionally make Shao Kahn uneasy… who could this warrior be? Kahn would not know until thousands of years later…

_10,000 years later_

The guards entered the Outworld Palace Court, it was not unusual for them to bring along a prisoner, but in this case, it was different; one of Emperor Shao Kahn's own daughters had been accused of murder and treason. They brought in a young woman clad in a blue leotard, which was torn in various places; rope had been tied around her waist, along with her wrists behind her back.

The guards were using one of the ropes that were wrapped around Kitana's waist as a leash. As she entered the room, Kitana tilted her head up. She looked around at the citizens of Outworld as they looked at her in awe and surprise. Kitana did not give them a response, for she did not know what kind of response to give… to her left, she saw her best friend Jade, who was similarly dressed like Kitana, but in green instead of blue.

Kitana looked at Jade, who looked guilty and ashamed, for what Kitana did not know, but she had no time to ask for she was placed in her chair and before she could make a move, they further chained her to it, locking them into place.

She had already spent some time in the dungeon; waiting for her trial, for after Shao Kahn's tournament, she was captured by Shao Kahn's army while her Earthrealm allies had managed to escape unharmed. But Kitana was not lucky enough to escape for she had to go back; she needed to learn just what they were resurrected on Earth.

The questioner approached her, staring into her eyes, reading her the charges. "Lady Kitana, daughter of Emperor Shao Kahn; you are charged with high treason of associating with the Earthrealm terriorists; for murdering your twin sister, Lady Mileena. Don't bother with the plea for the first accusation… but how do you plead for the second?"

"Well, yes I did kill her, but it wasn't…"

"Guilty or not guilty?" The questioner interrupted.

"Not guilty." Kitana pleaded, there was no evidence anywhere that it had been Kitana who caused the death of Mileena; although it was no secret that Kitana helped the Earthrealm warriors in their battle against Kahn in the final moments of the Outworld Tournament, but at least clearing herself of the murder charges would give her more time.

"But there is word that she attacked you for consorting with the Earthrealm terrorists is that right? Word has it that you had secret meetings with Liu Kang."

"No, I did not."

"Then what were you doing with him after you defeated Kahn? It looked like you two were sharing an… intimate moment."

Kitana blushed slightly. "Well, that wasn't really…"

"Enough. You're not giving clear answers." The questioner said, walking over to Jade, who immediately froze with horror. "Lady Jade?"

"Y-yes?" Jade stuttered, Kitana could tell that Jade was afraid.

"Did you see Lady Kitana talking with Liu Kang at any time?"

"No, not from what I know." Jade said, quickly.

"What about Mileena?"

"I-I don't understand what you mean exactly…"

"Did you see Kitana slay Mileena?"

"Well, I…I…" Jade stuttered, her face was covered in sweat and her whole body was trembling.

"Answer the question, Lady Jade. Did you or did you not?"

Jade did not answer for a long time, before finally she spoke up, her face filled with contempt and hatred for herself. "What I saw was that Mileena was coming at Kitana, but Kitana managed to throw her off the ledge, Mileena died shortly after."

"So Kitana did cause Mileena's death then? That's all we needed to know." The questioner said, turning to the counsel. "We rest and await your verdict."

The High Courts of Outworld turned to Shao Kahn, who sat a far distance from the court, watching the trials' proceedings. "Take her back to her cell, I'll decide on this later, I have more pressing matters to attend to at the moment."

The chains were lifted off of Kitana's chair and she was forced to stand, they led her down the hallway, Kitana turned to Jade, who held her head in her hands. Kitana didn't blame her; she actually felt great pity for her. She know that she was torn between betraying her or her emperor, who Jade was still loyal to. Kitana regretted never telling Jade about what she found about her, no _their_ pasts.

O-O-O

Later that day, Kahn sat in his throne room, silently awaiting any of his subjects to enter his corridor. Sure enough, the leader of the Tarkatan armies; Baraka entered and bowed before the Emperor, a delicious smile was on his face.

"What have you to report?" Kahn asked.

"My lord, I wish to tell you that the rebels in the lower regions of Outworld…" Baraka smiled as he drew one of the blades from his arms; the blade was covered in blood. "They have been dealt with."

Kahn flashed a smile, which let Baraka know that he was pleased. "Excellent. Gather your forces, I have need for your skills once more."

"What is that you desire of us, my lord?"

"I need some more squads to exterminate any possible survivors."

"Yes, yes of course, my emperor, I will gladly assist you." Baraka said, bowing once more.

With that, Baraka was excused to leave the room, as soon as he did, a man entered; but this man was not a native of Outworld, he came from Earthrealm. His name was Kano, his head had been shaved bald by his own wishes, he had been given a new outfit, replacing his former white with red. Half of his face was covered by a metal plate with a glowing red eye.

"What is he doing here?"

"We found him scouring the wastelands." said a Masked Guard showing his distrust towards the mortal, "he requested to see you."

"Hmm," Kahn said, growling slightly before turning to Kano. "You had better have something worth my while, mortal."

"Believe me. I have something to offer in your conquest of Earth."

"I'm listening…"

"You need someone who knows the ropes there, you need someone familiar with Earth, you'll need…"

"I do not need a field tactician. Your offers are pointless. Kill him!"

Kano turned around in horror to see the Masked Guard walking towards him, their staffs at the ready. "Wait! Wait! There's more! I can teach your men how to use the weapons on Earth! It could come in handy! Think of it! All you have to do is spare my life!"

"Hmm," Kahn said, thinking. Such a thing could prove useful to the extermination squads as they hunt Earth's warriors. But a mortal helping to lead his armies would be controversial with the other warriors, but nevertheless. "Stop!"

The guards halted in place, shocked at Kahn's order. "I accept your terms, mortal. You may live."

Kano flashed an evil grin as the guards reluctantly, but loyally dropped their weapons. "I'm glad that we could." Kano started.

"Now leave, before I change my mind." Kahn ordered loudly, as Kano quickly complied.

Hours later, the visitors that Kahn was waiting for finally arrived; the Centuars, the mortal enemies of the Shokans. Motaro stepped through the door, he was the leader of the Centuars, a former rival of Goro.

Motaro approached the emperor; he stopped and bowed at Shao Kahn, who rose from his chair.

"Welcome Motaro." Kahn said, walking down towards the Centaur.

"Great Shao Kahn, it is an honor to serve you."

"Yes, you need not worry about the Shokans, they have lost their favor, the king is dead." This caused Motaro to smile.

So the two conversed about the Centaur's role in the battle to come, Kahn gave Motaro the order to gather all his troops and prepare for an invasion, to scour the planet in search of those warriors who Raiden would choose to protect it. Kahn had no doubt that Raiden was forming some kind of plan of his own, but Kahn was ready. He was _always _ready.

After the Centaurs had left, Kahn had left one Shokan in his service, for means of protection. This Shokan's name was Sheeva and she was to protect Queen Sindel, once she was revived. Unaware that Kahn had enlisted the Centaurs, she eagerly agreed in hopes to avenge both Goro and Kintaro, both of whom were missing and presumed dead.

Kahn had two generals already; Motaro and Baraka, but it was not enough, he would need two more. Fortunately, his chance came when the Tarkatan brought worth a warrior, clad in a purple ninja outfit. This warrior appeared terrified, and immediately sunk to his knees to beg for mercy.

"We found him along the outskirts of Outworld. We brought him back here, he begged for his life."

"Is that so? Hmm, you are from Edenia are you not?" Kahn said, looking this warrior over. "What is your name?"

"R-R-Rain."

"Rain?" Kahn said, he started to laugh, those his men at first remained silent, a quick glare from Kahn forced them to laugh too. "Your cowardice is pathetic and your outfit is just atrocious. Welcome aboard."

Rain breathed with relief. "Go before I change my mind." Kahn said, Rain quickly ran out.

3 generals now, only one more would be needed. But who? Shang Tsung was to lead the Shadow Priests, so he was not an option. Sheeva was to protect Sindel, while Kano had his own assignment. It seems he would have to make another general, for neither Reptile nor Jade were fit to handle such a task and this warrior named Noob Saibot that Shinnok had offered, was not to join until after the merger had started. Though then, he remembered, a warrior that he had created many hundreds of years ago.

_Using several souls that had been trapped within, a new entity was born; he was a warrior composite of several innocent souls, but Kahn had made it so that this warrior would be loyal only to him. This warrior came off as a ninja, clad in red._

"_What is your name?"_

"_We are Ermac." The entity spoke, in a voice that was complied with many voices it seemed. He referred to himself as "we" and "our" most strangely, but this was because his body possessed more than one soul._

"_And who do you serve?"_

"_We serve Shao Kahn."_

"Ermac!" Kahn called out.

Out of the shadows, Ermac emerged, glowing with green energy, he stood before the emperor.

"Yes, master?" said the ninja, bowing.

"I need one more general."

"We will gladly serve you."

O-O-O

The Netherrealm was a truly evil place; surrounded by pits of fire, all creatures there were evil except one; he was a specter who was out for revenge at a time; he had killed his murderer, but yet his soul cannot rest for beneath the hellspawn lay a man of honor, he now desired to redeem himself for taking one's family away.

His name was Scorpion, his appearance was that of a yellow ninja, his eyes were white that symbolized his former rage. Now while Scorpion was most assuredly not _good_, it would be a mistake to classify him as _evil_.

He was murdered by a Lin Kuei Warrior known as Sub-Zero, two years later, Scorpion was only allowed to leave the Netherrealm because its ruler Shinnok allowed him to. But Shinnok and the sorcerer, Quan Chi were not pleased to learn that Scorpion had vowed to protect the younger Sub-Zero so as of now, Scorpion must remain in the Netherrealm forever…

At Shinnok's palace, a new soul had entered the Netherrealm, eternal damnation awaiting it, yet Shinnok had observed what transpired above, this soul could be quite useful in his plans.

This soul was Mileena; the twin sister of Princess Kitana, murdered by her own sister, her soul was to be condemned to the Netherrealm, but it seemed that her part in this story was not yet over.

Mileena's eyes opened ever so slightly and before her, she saw a man dressed in red robes, his eyes glaring down upon her. To her left, she saw a black ninja, who merely gazed at her and showed no signs of emotion.

"Welcome Mileena." Shinnok said, as Mileena stood up.

"Where the hell am I?" Mileena asked, groggily and confused.

"Funny you should ask that." Shinnok said, chuckling slightly.

Mileena looked at Shinnok in confusion, before turning to the open window behind Shinnok's chair. Through it, she saw pits of fire roaring with an indescribable fury. The grounds were filled with flame waiting to rise, Mileena had heard tales of this, this couldn't be… it couldn't…

"No… I'm not… I'm not…"

"Yes, you are in Hell, my dear." Came another voice, through the doorway, the sorcerer Quan Chi entered. His skin was pale white so much so that he almost looked ill, yet he was a very powerful sorcerer, feared by nearly all the denizens of the Netherrealm.

"I-I… no… no… I can't… I can't…" Mileena said, collapsing to her knees sobbing.

"Calm yourself, my dear. For she will find that while are in the Netherrealm, you are not longer deceased…" Quan Chi said.

"What?" Mileena said, standing up, wiping her tears away.

"Unlike Noob Saibot here." Shinnok said, looking at the black ninja. "You have been fully granted your life back."

"Why?" Mileena asked. "Wait! Am I allowed to go back and kill Kitana?"

"Not exactly." Shinnok said.

"What?" Mileena shouted, indignantly.

"You are to spy on Shao Kahn as he battles against Earth's warriors, not for anything else."

"What? I can't do that! Shao Kahn is my father! And I won't let anything stop me from taking my revenge on…"

But before Mileena could continue, a flash of light enveloped the room, and Shinnok floated up from his chair, towering over her, his voice had gotten much deeper. **_"INFIDEL! YOU DARE TO QUESTION ME? I GAVE YOU YOUR LIFE BACK AND I CAN TAKE IT AWAY AGAIN! DO YOU WISH TO QUESTION ME AGAIN?"_**

Mileena sank to her knees and trembled in fear and quickly bowed her head obediently, all the while Quan Chi just smiled as Mileena begged for forgiveness.

O-O-O

In Earthrealm, the warriors had managed to escape Outworld and began preparing themselves for the forthcoming invasion. In the United States of America, the Special Forces agents, Major Jackson Briggs and Lt. Sonya Blade had been busy trying to convince their superiors of the threat that the realm of Outworld held.

Jackson Briggs, or as he was called for short, "Jax" had previously embarked on a mission to find and rescue Lt. Blade, he was successful, but Kano eluded capture yet again. His commanding officers refused to listen to the Major's story, while Jax himself had been thinking on a way to save Earth from Outworld's forces.

"They're idiots, Sonya." He said, to himself as Sonya exercised in the Special Forces' gym. "Stupid bastards, every one of them."

Sonya, who was in the process of doing chin-ups, had to agree. The general refused to listen to neither her nor Jax. She stepped down from the pole and grabbing a towel, she began to wipe the sweat off her face. Sonya was a simply young and beautiful woman, her long blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, but her looks only concealed her hidden strength as a warrior and solider.

"We're not in this alone, there's Liu and the others. They'll help us out." Sonya said.

"Yeah, but what could just a few people do against a whole army of mutants and freaks and all that?"

Sonya did not reply. Jax merely turned around and stared at his arms. "I nearly lost my life a couple of months back."

"Hey, at least you weren't tied up in a dungeon with only Kano to talk to." Sonya said.

Jax couldn't help but smile, but yet he recalled his near-death at the hands of Kintaro, if it wasn't for Raiden, the Thunder God, he surely would've died.

"Anyway, I'm gonna hit the showers." Sonya said, walking out of the room.

"Yeah ok, kid" Jax said, silently.

"Don't call me that." Sonya said, somewhat angrily.

As Sonya left, Jax continued to fret over and over in his mind about what was about to unfold. These arms weren't enough; no they just weren't. He needed something stronger. Something more metal. Something that would give them an advantage over their Outworld invaders… Jax then decided that he was heading towards the technical lab.

Meanwhile, Sonya undressed and stepped into the showers, slowly thinking over and over in her mind as to what was occurring as she turned the faucet on.

"I guess Jax does have a point, we are in trouble. I mean, nobody here believes us and the only thing we can do is train and who the hell knows what Kano's up to over there? I know he's still alive."

She thought of the comrades and allies that she's made over the past 2 adventures that she's had involving Outworld. They would be instrumental to their success. Sonya was never easy with trusting people, but slowly she was beginning to warm up. _"Liu Kang's cool, he's strong, brave, smart, just about everyone you look for in a comrade. But then there's Johnny Cage, a 9-year-old trapped in a man's body. He might _almost _be cute if it weren't that ego of his."_

O-O-O

Speaking of Johnny Cage, the movie star had just recently released his newest feature film "Mortal Kombat", an exaggerated take on the events of the tournament. The film opened to mixed critical reaction, but so far is highly successful commercially.

The movie star was currently driving through the streets of Hollywood in his black limo. Dressed in a business suit and his trademark sunglasses over his eyes, Cage was currently talking with his agent on his cell phone.

"So how are the ticket sales going?" Cage asked.

"They're breaking records, Johnny. If this keeps up, it'll make "Star Wars" look like "Ninja Mime"!"

"Really? _That _great? Holy shit… that _is _awesome."

O-O-O

The Black Dragon existed as a clan of mercenaries, their leader, Kano was still missing and was now assumed to be dead. Several Black Dragon members entered an old abandoned factory, they had just robbed an entire bank, eluding the police, they laughed as they threw their sacks of money onto the floor.

"What a catch today huh?" said Jarek, who had a slightly haggard looking beard and black hair.

While the other Black Dragon members merely nodded in agreement, another member suddenly slipped away into the shadows, concealing himself from the others, in confusion and bewilderment, Jarek followed.

"What the hell are you doing back here, Kabal?"

Kabal turned to face Jarek, he came across as a rather handsome man, but this only concealed his criminal ways. With his two hookswords, he made quite a valuable ally to the Black Dragon.

"I don't know. I just am." Kabal said, silently.

"Hey, if your still mad about us robbing that one girl then you…"

"Look I just don't think it's right to rob from little kids, I mean, maybe a teenager, but a kid? That's too low." Kabal said, looking Jarek straight in the eye.

"Look! That's bullshit and you know it!" Jarek shouted. "We're the Black Dragon, we'll take what we want from everyone and everything!"

"But I just don't think that… the Red Dragon would never…"

"The Red Dragon? What the hell is wrong with you?" Jarek said, slapping Kabal upside the head. "You need to learn to stop thinking about the Red Dragon and more about your own clan. About how we're going to take down those Special Forces bastards, especially that Sonya Blade."

Jarek grabbed a knife from the side pocket in his leg and threw it at a large picture of Sonya on the wall, it pierced the left eye. Before Kabal could reply, they could hear what sounded like a missile hit the far wall, both Jarek and Kabal were instantly blown backwards.

"What the fuck?" Jarek yelled as his fellow clan members quickly scattered. "It's the Red Dragon they found us! God damnit!"

More rockets entered the building, causing rubble and debris to scatter all over. The Red Dragon must be using rocket launchers to attack. How could they be so stupid? They forgot to check if they were being followed.

"We've gotta go!" Jarek shouted.

"What about Kabal?"

"Forget him!" Jarek yelled. "Let's get out of here!"

As his clansmen abandoned him, Kabal found himself digging his way out of the rubble that had collapsed upon him when the missiles first struck. As he emerged free, he checked for any more missile attacks, the Red Dragon seemed to have moved on apparently to pursue Jarek and the others.

The Red Dragon and Black Dragon had been rivals for nearly 50 years, and it showed no sign of stopping. But the Black Dragon's numbers had been weakening since Kano's disappearance; more and more were captured by the Special Forces, Kabal's group was one the last to avoid captured.

He emerged outside the hideout and he managed to crawl out of view just before he passed out.

O-O-O

A few months ago 

In China, another clan existed, but these were called Chinese Ninja Warriors otherwise called the Lin Kuei. The Lin Kuei had existed for hundreds of years; a clan of assassins and thieves, one such member was known as Sub-Zero, who inherited the name from his now deceased older brother, he was clad in blue ninja attire and somehow naturally had the ability to freeze objects.

Sub-Zero and his fellow clansmen, Smoke, who was clad similarly, but dressed in gray, were returning to their temple after their failure to assassinate Shang Tsung in Outworld. Sub-Zero had encountered the ninja specter; Scorpion while in Outworld, the two fought and Scorpion came out the victor, but Sub-Zero never knew why the specter spared his life.

Having arrived at the temple, they were quick surprised to see a crowd gathered in the main hall. Looking at each other in confusion and in curiosity, they both began to make their way to the front of the crowd to discover what was the source of all the commotion.

In the center of the hall, standing before the rest of the Lin Kuei, was the grandmaster.

"My fellow Lin Kuei, it is with great pride that I stand before you today. For many years, we Lin Kuei have been restrained by human limitations, but no longer! For we have a way to surpass those limitations and become more powerful than ever! This warrior immediately volunteered for the process out of loyalty, it is to be commended. Allow me to introduce our first Prototype Cybernetic Warrior; unit LK-9T9 Sektor!"

A red cyborg stepped through the shadows after the grandmaster's words, all of the Lin Kuei, with the exception of Sub-Zero and Smoke, who could not grasp at what was happening, began to cheer. The cheering quelled when the grandmaster raised his hand to speak.

"Ah, but not is all. We have one more prototype to show you. Unit LK-4D4 Cyrax!"

Once again, another cyborg emerged, except this one's color was yellow not red. Once the Lin Kuei raised their arms as they cheered.

"Thank you." The grandmaster said as he died down the cheers. "But we need two more volunteers for the automation. They have been already been chosen, and I see that they have returned at last."

Sub-Zero and Smoke looked at each other in surprise.

"Sub-Zero, I don't know what the hell they're thinking!" Smoke whispered. "This is crazy!"

"Yeah, I agree Smoke, but right now the odds are against us."

"I can fix that."

"Well are you ready to begin?" the grandmaster asked, pointing them towards the door to a new laboratory.

"Don't we have a say in the matter?" Sub-Zero asked, irritated.

"No, you don't. You undergo the process whether you want to or not."

Raiden was right all along, the Lin Kuei had finally shown their true colors to Sub-Zero, they were not all the honorable warriors he had believed them to be. He had only just been faced with carrying on the legacy of his family, but now… instead of following in his brother's footsteps… he would make his own legacy…

"Smoke?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever you're going to do, now's the time."

Smoke nodded and as he raised his hands up, a cloud of smoke appeared in the great hall, blinding all the Lin Kuei, and causing them all to cough violently. Sub-Zero and Smoke quickly escaped through the crowd.

"After them! After them now!" The grandmaster shouted.

In a flash, both Cyrax and Sektor gave chase, their sensors unaffected by Smoke's diversion.

Sub-Zero and Smoke successfully made it outside, Sub-Zero quickly sealed the door with a block of ice.

"Well, that was easy." Smoke said, panting.

"Too easy, actually." Sub-Zero said, worried. "Keep your eyes open."

Suddenly the ice was blasted apart and the two ninja were sent flying back from the explosion.

"You had to say it, didn't you?" Smoke said, groaning as he got to his feet.

The two friends looked on as Cyrax emerged from the Lin Kuei entrance, but where was Sektor?

Smoke turned his head, looking for any way to escape, when he looked up, he saw Sektor leaping at Sub-Zero, a knife in his right hand, about to strike the ninja down. Smoke shouted out a warning, Sub-Zero saw the attack and managed to leap back, but it was too late.

The blade cut down Sub-Zero's face, narrowly missing his right eye. Blood spilled onto the ground as Sub-Zero screamed in pain. He heard Smoke call out his name as he collapsed to his knees.

Sektor dropped the knee and suddenly his chest opened and a set of missiles was revealed. Before Smoke could react; Sektor had already fired 6 missiles and they were heading at Smoke. Smoke managed to leap out of the way, but although he succeeded in dodging the missiles, he had taken his eyes off of Cyrax, who leapt at the unprepared ninja.

Before Smoke knew it, he was on his knees clutching his stomach in pain. Meanwhile, Sektor strode in to finish Sub-Zero, his missiles aiming at the stunned ninja. Before Sektor could fire, he found himself unable to move. The now former Lin Kuei Warrior had recovered and had temporarily sealed Sektor in a block of ice.

Groaning with pain, Sub-Zero found himself dizzy after the slash he took from Sektor's knife. A red scar now covered the right side of his face… Holding his face in pain, Sub-Zero got up and quickly ran over to help Smoke.

But Smoke managed to pull himself up and blocked Cyrax's attack, bringing his foot onto Cyrax's chest, he knocked the cyborg back. Unbeknowst to neither Sub-Zero nor Smoke, Sektor had broken free from the ice that he had been encased in and came at the two. Like a cheetah, Sektor had pounced on Sub-Zero knocking him to the ground.

As Sektor tried to get his hands around Sub-Zero's throat, Smoke quickly knocked the cyborg off of Sub-Zero.

"Sub-Zero! We've got to run now!" Smoke shouted.

Sub-Zero nodded slightly and managed to stand up, but before they could begin their escape, Cyrax and Sektor were already on their feet, the two cyborg charged, Sub-Zero tried to freeze them both in place, but Cyrax leapt upon him.

Sub-Zero brought a knee up into Cyrax's chest, only to then learn that it wasn't such a good idea since Cyrax's chest was made of metal. Holding his knee in pain, Sub-Zero jumped back, but the blow had caused Cyrax to recoil back as well.

Meanwhile Smoke and Sektor started to trade blows, Smoke was nearly knocked senseless as the automation had enhanced Sektor's strength greatly. As Sub-Zero started to do the same with Cyrax, he too was starting to be overwhelmed.

Soon both friends were on the ground, trying to stand as the two cyborgs advanced on them. But a quick flash of ice from Sub-Zero, temporarily froze the two cyborgs in place. Without a word, both ninja were running off into the mountains that lay ahead, but unfortunately both Cyrax and Sektor had broken free in an instant and gave chase.

The chase seemed to go on for hours, their pursuers were relentless for without human limitations such as exhaustion, they could go on for however long was needed to complete their mission. As Sub-Zero and Smoke came across a canyon that split into two directions.

"We got to separate!" Sub-Zero said.

"Okay," Smoke started. "After we lose 'em, we'll meet up?"

"Yeah."

"OK, good luck Sub-Zero."

"You too, Smoke."

Bidding each other a quick farewell, Sub-Zero run off to the passageway to the left, and Smoke to the right. Just as Sub-Zero ran out of sight, Cyrax and Sektor found themselves the canyon, unfortunately for Smoke, he was spotted just at the last moment, with no sight of Sub-Zero, the two robots instantly followed Smoke, presuming Sub-Zero to be with him.

Smoke continued to run as far as his tired feet could carry on. Taking a moment to rest and catch his breath, Smoke did not see Cyrax and Sektor approaching behind him. Cyrax's chest opened like Sektor's but unlike his partner, who shot missiles from his chest compartment, a large green net fired out.

"Huh?" Smoke said, in surprise he turned around but it was too late. The net entrapped his body and caused him to fall flat on his back. He let out a shriek of terror:

"No! No!"

He struggled to free himself, but no matter how hard he pulled, the net wouldn't give. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Cyrax and Sektor closing in on him…

Sub-Zero, however, was much more lucky, climbing out of the canyon, he finally had a clear run to escape. Panting to catch his breath, he looked around for any sign of Smoke, hopefully he escaped as well.

"Smoke?" Sub-Zero called out for his friend, but he got no response. "Are you here? Smoke?"

No answer came… Sub-Zero paused for a moment, before turning around and walking away. Many thoughts roamed through Sub-Zero's mind as he traveled, eventually coming to a river stream. Its waves echoed into the empty sky.

"Smoke, I have this terrible feeling that he was… no, I shouldn't think that, I gotta keep hoping that he somehow got away too, but I never should've said that we should split up… now… no, best not to think of it… I wonder brother, if you were still alive today, what would you think? Would you have run like I just have or would you have loyally sacrificed yourself to serve a clan so appealing? Hmm, my encounter with Scorpion began to open my eyes, though he may be a hellspawn, he's not inherently evil otherwise I would not be standing here today…"

Sub-Zero felt the side of his face that had been slashed. The pain had stopped, but the mark was something of a symbol, it was a reminder of the mistake he made; of the clan that he was serving was nothing more than a despicable organization that slowly became more and more corrupt.

"This uniform must come off…"

With those thoughts running through his head, Sub-Zero began to pull off his ninja vest and gloves. Now wearing nothing on his upper body, he thrust the vest into the water below, he watched as it sank beneath the waves. After a moment's hesitation, he pulled off his mask.

Holding it in his hands for a just few moments, he stared down at it. This mask symbolized the despicable deeds he had done as a Lin Kuei, the blood on his hands, though he never killed innocents or those that were defenseless, he had still killed… yes, he killed and until now, he never really thought about how that person might've had a family that was expecting them to come home, that person has—had lives. And he took it all away from them.

He slowly loosened his grip on his mask and watched as it slowly dropped into the river below, taking one final look at the stream, he turned his back and walked away. Ready to start his new life.

O-O-O

China, Shaolin Temples

After winning the first Mortal Kombat tournament and escaping from the Outworld, Liu Kang looks to the future. He begins training a new generation of Shaolin alongside Kung Lao. The Shaolin Temples had recently been rebuilt after they were destroyed by Baraka's Tarkatan forces months ago.

The champion was currently training the new recruits while his friend was attending to the reformation of the White Lotus Society.

"Okay, here we go again." Liu Kang said, as he punched the air, as the other Shaolin followed his example. Back and forth, Liu Kang went between both hands as he performed his kata. The other Shaolin followed suite.

After a few more moments of practicing, Liu Kang excused the new trainees so he could have a moment to speak to Kung Lao, who had just arrived.

"Hey Kung Lao." Liu Kang said. "Did it go ok?"

"Well, it's alright, there's still a few more things to take care of, but I think we should have the White Lotus Society back up in a couple of weeks." Kung Lao said, with a smile.

Liu Kang returned the smile. "How many people have you recruited so far?"

"Oh, about five or so."

"Keep that up and you'll have 50 by the end of the week." Liu Kang said, as he and Kung Lao began to head inside.

"I'd like to get that many, but I doubt it." Kung Lao said, chuckling slight. For a moment there was silence, until Liu Kang finally spoke.

"It's been months, and still no sign of anything."

Kung Lao sighed. "Well, the best thing we can do right now is keep training until they make their move."

"Yeah, but how good is that going to do us? I mean, I barely won last time, next time I face him, I might not be so lucky." Liu Kang said, bowing his head.

"Still thinking about her?" Kung Lao said, referring to how Kitana saved Liu Kang at the end of the Outworld tournament.

Liu Kang sighed:

"Yeah, I just couldn't save her… I couldn't…"

Kung Lao put his hand on Liu Kang's shoulder.

"Don't worry about her. I'm sure she's fine. She's quite a strong woman. She can take care of herself."

Liu Kang looked up at Kung Lao, gave a weak smile, before lifting his head up. He was glad to have someone like Kung Lao at his side. To him, Kung Lao was something of a big brother. Although he was not the Champion of Mortal Kombat, he was quite knowledgeable about the necessities being that his ancestor was a former champion.

Little did they know how much little time they actually had…

O-O-O

Meanwhile, Sonya had just gotten out of the shower. After drying herself off with a towel, she went to her locker and got dressed. Just as soon as she had retied her hair into a ponytail, her hair still a little wet, she stepped out of the locker room, trying to find Jax. Yet she found that he was not in the gym anymore, where could he be?

Puzzled, Sonya searched the hallways for her partner. Faintly, she could hear some noise coming from the laboratory. Entering the lab, Sonya looked to her right to see Jax laying on a table, a blanket covering his body, except for his head.

"Jax?" Sonya said, surprised and a little worried.

Without another thought, Sonya dashed into Jax's room, running up to his side, Sonya could see that he was alright, but yet something was different. "Jax? What did you do?"

Jax stirred for a moment. "Huh? Oh, well take a look."

Sonya sighed as she lifted the blanket off him. To her surprise, she saw that Jax's arms were fitted with some kind of metallic alloy; bionic implants had been placed on his arms.

"What the hell did you do Jax?" Sonya shouted. "Just what did you do? You… you moron!"

"I don't know, Sonya. I guess some of us were just preparing for a war!"

"Yeah, but you didn't have to do _this_?" Sonya shouted. "There had to be another way."

"Well, you weren't the one fighting against Kintaro in the tournament were you? If they have more guys like that, it's going to take more than just human strength to take them down."

"But, Jax." Sonya started. "It's not…"

Sonya sighed, before speaking again. "Why are you lacking so much confidence?"

"What?"

"I've noticed it ever since we got back, you've been all depressed and such."

Frustrated, Jax got off the table and stood up. "Well, at least I wasn't the one who got captured was I?" he snapped.

Sonya gasped, as he walked past her. Now, Sonya knew that her capture in Outworld, wasn't her fault. She had no way of eluding Outworld's forces for long. But, she was still worried about Jax, his lack of confidence was affecting him greatly, she too was troubled. Many challenges lay ahead for both of them…

O-O-O

Back in Outworld, the body of Sindel had been laid out, the sorcerer Shang Tsung had recently been made more powerful by the emperor in order to resurrect his queen. His Shadow Priests had gathered around, with Shang Tsung in the middle.

"Shang Tsung?" Shao Kahn said as he entered. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes, sir." Shang Tsung then whispered to himself. "You oversized ogre."

"Excuse me. WHAT WAS THAT SHANG TSUNG?" Kahn bellowed.

Shang Tsung whimpered:

"I said… when you're ready, sir!"

"Excellent. But first I must contact Shinnok. Open a channel to the Netherrealm."

Shang Tsung quickly did so, what seemed like a portal opened before Shao Kahn, and when Kahn looked through it, he saw Shinnok sitting on his throne in the Netherrealm.

"I guess it's time is it?" Shinnok asked.

"Yes, it is. I'm going to send you her soul so you can taint it with evil and erase all of her memories of her former life. Best that she doesn't anything, not one thing. Understand?"

"Yes, I do understand. But before you do, I have interesting news for you. We have resurrected your daughter Mileena, she should be quite useful, as we have also given her a new ability, which we think may come in handy."

"I see…" Kahn said. "Very well then."

Kahn took a step back. "Prepare yourself."

With that a lingering soul was shot out of Kahn's body. With a horrible scream, the soul was sent through the portal to the Netherrealm.

"I'll get right to work on it." Shinnok said, smiling as the portal closed up.

"Shang Tsung! Begin!" Kahn commanded.

"Yes master!" With that, Tsung's hands began to glow with energy. The other Shadow Priests followed suite and soon Sindel's body was lifted into the air, green energy enveloping all around her.

Finally, the moment that Kahn had been waiting for, for nearly 500 years was finally coming to pass, Earthrealm would be his for the taking. Yet the warrior who Jerrod had mentioned before he died on that day, 10,000 years ago. Could he be Liu Kang? If that was so, Kahn knew that he should take precautions in this case.

Liu Kang was not like the other Earthrealm warriors, for if anyone else had fought him at the Outworld tournament, they surely would've been crushed. Yet Liu Kang was amazingly able to pull out a win. Kahn knew that Kitana had a lot to do with Liu Kang's victory. That was it! Kitana was both his strength… and could be his weakness if it were exploited properly.

At Shinnok's palace, Shinnok had already finished erasing Sindel's memories and now, thanks to the Netherrealm, her soul had been tainted with evil.

"Quan Chi, send her back through the portal." Shinnok ordered.

"Of course, my lord." Said the sorcerer and in a flash, the spirit of Sindel was gone.

"When Earth has been merged with Outworld, I will be sending you two to Earth. Saibot, I want you to take a look around first, before joining up with Kahn, after that, wait for further orders."

Saibot bowed modestly.

"Mileena, you will report immediately to Shao Kahn."

"Yes, of course." Mileena said, bowing immediately.

"I don't trust him." Shinnok said. "He's up to something."

O-O-O

In Outworld, Sindel's body vanished through a portal as Shang Tsung finished his incantation.

Tsung turned to Kahn. "Sindel's body and soul should become one again as soon as they reach Earth, then it's only a matter of entering through the portals to Earth, taking Earth's inhabitants' souls."

"Excellent." Kahn said, pleased. "Prepare the portals, I will give the squads their orders."

"Yes, sir." Tsung said, walking out of the room.

O-O-O

In the realm of Earth, on the highways of New York City, a strange woman seemingly appeared out of thin air. With a full head of white hair, she appeared to be a woman in her 40s. But her eyes were white, she was Sindel, the former queen of Edenia, reborn.

The cars immediately came to a screeching halt when Sindel appeared and the angry drivers blew their horns.

"Hey! Get off the road lady!"

"You're holding us up!"

Sindel merely flashed and an evil smile and she opened her mouth. Sindel let out a terrifying scream that shattered the car's windows and blew their horns out. The citizens covered their ears and began to scream in terror and panic themselves.

Cries of terror immediately started to ring out, as the citizens abandoned their cars and fled as fast as their feet would let them. Sindel closed her mouth and began to chuckle.

It was a truly shocking sight, one such observer was not from Earth, but from the Heavens. The Thunder God, Raiden watched as Sindel appeared in the realm of Earth. He knew it right from the start, Shao Kahn had made his move… and it was time he made his.

O-O-O

In Outworld, Shao Kahn's armies had gathered outside, waiting for the Emperor to speak from atop his palace. Reptile, Jade, Ermac, Rain, Kano, Baraka and Motaro had gathered outside with their militia. Shang Tsung and Sheeva must be up with the emperor.

Soon enough, the emperor himself appeared on the balcony, his cape flapping with the mind. The army raised their fists and began to cheer as Kahn approached.

Sheeva, however was horrified and instantly angered when she saw Motaro and his army of Centaurs below.

"My lord! What is the meaning of _this_?" Sheeva angrily questioned.

"Silence Sheeva! Your orders are to guard Sindel when we get to Earth, nothing more!" Kahn ordered.

In the dungeons of Shao Kahn's palace, Kitana had been chained to a wall in a cell. Through the hollow walls, she could hear everything that was transpiring outside.

"Friends and warriors alike! Our moment has arrived!" Kahn bellowed.

The crowd cheered.

"Long have we sought to take the realm of Earth, but there were always boundaries, rules that had to be followed. Though I have lost the Mortal Kombat Tournament, I have found a way to breach the shields that protect the realm of Earth. And soon every man, woman and child's soul will belong to me!"

The crowd cheered again, perhaps even louder than before.

"But there will be souls that I cannot take. Raiden has no doubt prepared for this. Raiden will choose warriors to represent their realm in a new Mortal Kombat. No longer will we be restricted by the rules of a tournament! We **ARE AT WAR!**"

Once again, the crowd erupted in cheers.

"That is why I have summoned you here, you are to eliminate those warriors by any means necessary! And also, there will be a special award for the one who brings me the head of Liu Kang!"

Once again, there were cheers.

"The realm of Earth is ours now! Take it!"

For one last time, there were cheers.

"It has begun." Said Kahn as he smiled. "Shang Tsung! Open the portal!"

With a nod, Tsung waved his hands as a giant portal appeared behind the extermination squads.

Kahn ordered his army forward into the portal, as it began to grow larger, slowly enveloping the palace itself. The time had come to retake his queen.

O-O-O

First, the portal opened over North America, soon every city began to shake as the ground shook and several buildings started to break apart. Riots broke out almost immediately. People were under the impression that it was the Apocalypse.

Shao Kahn's palace began to materialize out of thin air, the skies turned blood red, the castle stood tall over one of the cities of Earthrealm

In Chicago, a riot control brigade was immediately dispatch to quell the rioting. Panic and chaos surrounded the air, as teenagers, and even young men and women had begun to break open novelty stores and stole what was inside. Kurtis Stryker, the leader of the Riot Control Brigade had never seen anything like this before.

"Alright men, let's stop this!" he ordered.

"Yes sir!"

Stryker's men took out their clubs and began to advance on the rioters. Stryker turned to his partner, to ask about the assessment of the situation.

"Mike? What caused this?"

"I-I don't know, all of sudden things just started getting out of control, I don't what ha-AAAHHHHH!" Mike screamed.

Stryker let out a yell of horror:

"Mike! What's wrong?"

But his attention quickly turned to the crowd, who began to scream in pain as well. Stryker watched as every inhabitant's soul rose from their bodies and up into the sky.

"What the hell is going on here?"

O-O-O

Meanwhile, on an ancient Indian tribe land, a preserver and historian of his people's culture, Nightwolf had seen the coming of this invasion in his dreams, though his friends' souls could not be spared, Nightwolf's was, he had drawn a protective circle around his tribe's land. Looking up at the sky, he knew that the time had already come; he whispered a mystical incantation that protected the land that was inside the circle.

O-O-O

Meanwhile, Johnny Cage was still talking with his agent on the phone, completely oblivious to what was happening around him.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Hey look, Chuck. It's not like that… it, hello? Chuck? You there?"

No reply. Cage figured that Chuck had to have been disconnected. "Weird." He said to himself.

O-O-O

At the Special Forces Headquarters, Sonya and Jax could hear their friends screaming outside, with a nod to each other, they both ran to investigate, what they saw was not describable, their friends' souls were leaving their bodies. Sonya froze with horror, and sank to her knees.

"No… no… Jax, it's happening, they're invading…" Sonya said, softly.

Jax clenched his fists with anger, there was nothing that they could do, and he knew it.

"Damn it… we're in trouble, girl."

O-O-O

In China, Liu Kang and Kung Lao silently watched with horror as their new Shaolin Warriors had their souls taken out of their bodies, the time had come to face the Outworld Invaders.

O-O-O

Every soul that had been taken, headed straight for Shao Kahn's palace, Kahn outstretched his arms and took every single one, and they were all absorbed into his body by the dozens. While most of Kahn's subordinates cheered as their leader slowly became stronger with each soul he took, Shang Tsung cast Kahn a glaring look. All those souls, and Kahn got to have every single one.

As the last soul was taken, Kahn's extermination squads scattered into the Earth to search for the survivors. There was no escape for them.

O-O-O

Raiden was now powerless, he had done all he could, though he wanted desperately to help, there was nothing else he could do at the moment. The survivors were stunned by the terror of what they had just seen, part of the Earth had been merged with Outworld.

He had managed to spare the souls of Earth's Chosen Warriors: Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, Jax, Kurtis Stryker, Nightwolf, Sub-Zero, and Kabal.

Through the Heavens, Raiden spoke to the survivors one last time.

"You have been chosen to represent Earth in Mortal Kombat. Be warned. Although your souls are protected against Shao Kahn's evil: your lives are not. I cannot interfere any longer as your Earth is now ruled by the Outworld Gods."

These are the words of Raiden.


	2. Demise

Liu Kang and Kung Lao stared at the sky after hearing Raiden's message. Both looked at their fallen Shaolin brothers' bodies.

"Not again…" Liu said, softly.

"We can't worry about them now, Liu. We've got to go and meet with the others." Kung said.

"The question is: How do we get there? Our friends are over in America."

"Hmm, yes, that does pose a problem."

"Well, we'll find a way." Liu said, sighing. "Hopefully."

With that the two traveled west, hoping to find some way to travel over into America.

O-O-O

Meanwhile in New York, Sindel had watched the souls ascend into the skies with sheer delight. Her husband had no doubt already arrived: it was only a matter of time before they would be reunited.

"Sindel…"

Sindel looked behind her to see a portal opening behind her. Sindel turned around, preparing herself for anything, but she knew who it was.

"It is I…" Shao Kahn stepped through the portal, holding out his hand. "Your husband."

"Yes, I know." Sindel said, walking towards Kahn, taking his hand in her own.

"You've been gone a long time, my dear. Too long actually." Kahn said, taking her in both of his arms. "It was a horrible tragedy 10,000 years ago when we lost you."

"I imagine so." Sindel said, smiling.

"But you are back now. That's all that matters. Welcome home, my love. Welcome home."

O-O-O

As Sonya and Jax watched the last of their fellow Special Forces agents fall to the ground, they knew that they had to leave immediately.

Jax got Sonya onto her feet. "Come on girl, we gotta go."

"But where?" Sonya asked.

"I don't know, but we can't stay here. Kahn's probably sent guys after us. We'll be killed. Best we stay on the move."

"Alright." Sonya said. "But how can we?"

"We'll take one of the jets." Jax said. "Come on!"

"Wait! We gotta go to Hollywood first."

"What?" Jax yelled, surprised. "Why?"

"Well, Johnny's there and, well." Sonya said, blushing.

"But Sonya, you _hate _him! Don't you?"

"Well, yeah, I do… it's just that he's a good fighter."

"Yeah, sure." Jax said. It was clear to him that Sonya was in denial. He had just now caught onto what was going on. "Well, I guess you're right. Let's go."

O-O-O

Speaking of Johnny Cage, he had stopped his car after hearing Raiden's message.

"So that's it, huh?" he said, softly. "I didn't really want this invasion to ever actually happen."

Stepping out his car and throwing off his shirt, Cage prepared himself for anything. "OK, well let's see here. Raiden didn't exactly tell us where to go. So what do I do now?"

"You die."

"Huh?" Cage said, surprised.

Cage turned around to see a Centaur standing in the middle of the road, surprised, Cage assumed that he was one of Shao Kahn's assailants.

"What do you want?" Cage asked.

"I'm here to kill you, you are Johnny Cage correct?" Motaro said, looking at a piece of paper.

"That's me." Cage said, proudly.

"Very well then, you will die today. At my hand." Motaro said, throwing the paper aside.

"Oh, yeah?" Cage called out. "You and what army?"

Suddenly behind Motaro, a portal opened and at least a dozen centaurs appeared behind him. Shocked and a little scared, Cage stepped back:

"I'm gonna have to learn to stop saying things like that."

O-O-O

In Shao Kahn's palace, Kitana was being led out of the dungeons, her wrists manacled in front of her. Reptile and Ermac were leading her to an unknown destination. She had been given a new outfit and a new mask. Her hair had been tied in a knot.

"Where are you taking me?" Kitana asked, without even looking at either.

"It is not your business to know." Ermac said, pushing her forward.

They soon passed by the great hall where apparently most of Kahn's subordinates had gathered. Shao Kahn apparently had news for them, Ermac and Reptile stopped and turned to look, Kitana did as well. Apparently she would know finally learn what it was Kahn resurrected.

What she saw when she first gazed in was something she never expected to see again: it was her sister, Mileena. But, Mileena had been killed in battle with Kitana. There was no way she could be alive. Could she have been what they resurrected? No, not likely. For she knew of this resurrection plans long before Mileena met her demise.

Mileena looked over and saw Kitana with her wrists manacled in front of her. Suddenly Mileena was overcome with a deep rage. Not just for Kitana, but for Shinnok as well. Kitana was right there, perfect opportunity for her to exact her revenge for what she did to her, but yet she was confined to serve her new master.

Suddenly, Mileena could hear Kitana was thinking about, she could hear her confusion. Surprised, Mileena revered back. _"Is this that gift Shinnok gave me?"_

Just then, Shao Kahn entered the room, standing in front of the vast crowd, he apparently already knew that Mileena was back, as he took real notice of her.

He gathered before his followers, he quieted them as he started to speak. "Warriors and allies, allow me to introduce your new queen, she had been taken from me many years ago, but now she has returned. She was the key to our successful merger, although it is not yet complete."

Kitana gasped, fear had overcome her. "No, it can't be…"

"All hail **QUEEN SINDEL!**" Kahn bellowed as Sindel revealed herself, Kahn's subordinates began to cheer.

Suddenly Kitana began to run towards the doorway, she had to talk with Sindel.

"NO! NO! THAT'S MY…" Kitana started, suddenly Ermac grabbed her from behind and clamped his hand over her mouth silencing her yells, though there was no need, her yells were died down by the crowd's cheers.

"You may not enter the great hall." Said Ermac as he dragged the struggling Kitana away.

"Mmmpphh! Mmpphh!" Kitana yelled into his hand as she tried to break free from Ermac's grip. Soon she was dragged out of sight.

Sindel did, however, catch a glimpse of Kitana and deeming this sight as unimportant quickly turned her attention away.

"My dear Sindel. This is Sheeva." Kahn said. "She's been assigned to guard you."

Sheeva bowed before Sindel. "I am at your service, my queen."

Sindel nodded.

Meanwhile, as Kitana was being led further away, she saw another ninja walking past them, unlike Reptile or Ermac, this ninja was clad in purple. The ninja's name was Rain, although Kitana had no way of knowing this.

The two exchanged a quick glance as Rain walked by. Rain walked into the Great Hall, making his way through the crowd, when he reached the Emperor, he bowed and got on one knee.

"Great Shao Kahn. I bring word that we found an Earthrealm warrior."

"And?" Kahn asked.

"It's safe to say that he has been disposed of."

"Excellent. Do you know who this warrior was?"

"No. This warrior was not on the list. Nevertheless, he must've been a Chosen Warrior, otherwise his soul would not have been spared."

"I see." Kahn said, nodding. "Good work, Rain. Do you have anything else to report?"

"Just one, my lord. It seems the Netherrealm's gates are open. It's ripe for the taking."

"Excellent. Shinnok must have sent that warrior of his to assist us. No matter. When he arrives, he will find that he will have a new master to serve: Me."

As Kitana continued to be led away, she waited for an opportunity to get away. Stopping for a moment, Kitana quickly thrust her restrained wrists into Ermac's chest, causing him to fall back, then in succession, she swung her leg out and managed to strike Reptile across the face.

Taking this opportunity, Kitana ran further down the hallway, trying to find a way out. Unfortunately, her attack had not stunned Reptile and Ermac for very long, as they quickly got to their feet.

"The prisoner is escaping! Guards!" Ermac shouted. "Guards! Get over here now! Kitana is escaping! We must not let her get away!"

Panting, Kitana ran as fast as she could. Trying to escape from her pursuers, there were no guards in sight, _yet_. Soon she could hear the sounds of footsteps behind her, she tried desperately to outrun them, but soon she could hear footsteps coming from the front, trapped with no way out, Kitana stopped suddenly and desperately tried to find a way.

Her mother was now with Kahn, and Liu Kang was in danger of being killed by the extermination squads. What could she do now? She was cornered. Suddenly a hand clamped over her mouth and dragged her back through a hidden passageway in the wall. She let out a muffled yell of surprised, but was surprised and little relieved to see that it was Jade who pulled her back.

"Jade!" Kitana shouted, when Jade pulled her back.

Jade put her hand back over Kitana's mouth and put a finger to her lips. Reptile, Ermac and the guards approached the spot, upon seeing no sign of Kitana, Ermac and Reptile ordered the guards to search elsewhere. After they left, Jade took her hands off of Kitana's mouth.

"Thanks, Jade." Kitana said.

"I needed to make up for testifying against you." Jade said, solemnly. "Hold still." Jade began to pick at the lock on Kitana's manacles.

"I don't blame you Jade." Kitana said, as her hands were freed. Kitana rubbed her wrists as Jade handed her a pair of gloves.

"You may need these." Jade said, as Kitana took them.

"Thanks. Jade, you should come with me. We could…"

"I knew you were going to say that." said Jade, sighing. "But I can't do it."

"But Jade, Kahn is…" Kitana started. She couldn't of the right way to finish that sentence. It was true. Kahn is evil. But then again, were the actions they did as his assassins any different?

"I know what you're going to say, but I don't know any other way of life, Kitana. I'll let you go, but I can't promise you that I'll be on your side the next we meet."

"Jade, I'm not going to force you to side with me. You should make your own choice." Kitana said, started to head towards the nearby portal. "Where will that take me?"

"I don't know, somewhere into Earth, obviously. Lower regions, I think." Jade spoke.

"Good, maybe I can find Liu Kang before it's too late." Kitana said, walking away.

"Wait." said Jade, causing Kitana to stop.

"What?"

"You'll need these." Jade said, as she tossed Kitana's two razor fans towards her. Kitana caught her weapons and examined them. Though they didn't appear to be dangerous, they were Kitana's favored choice of weapons. They had been confiscated after her capture.

"Thanks." Kitana said.

Without looking back, Kitana leapt through the portal while Jade looked on, uncertainty in her eyes.

O-O-O

The movie star had his hands full; the only logical choice was to run. The Centaurs slowly made their way towards him. It seemed as though he was to die here. But then, a few gunshots rang out and several Centaurs fell wounded, but not dead.

"Huh?" Cage turned to see Sonya Blade and Jackson Briggs running towards him. Sonya was holding a small handgun, while Jax had a machine gun. "Oh, hey! I was wondering when you guys get here. Hmm, how _did _you guys get here?"

"We took one of the Special Forces jets." Sonya said, taking to the left of Cage.

"Hmm, Sonya. I like your hair in a ponytail." Cage said, grinning. "Makes you look cute."

Sonya immediately started to blush, but quickly hid her embarrassment by slapping Cage upside the head. Cage yelled in pain, while Jax just shook his head.

"What was that for?" Cage asked, annoyed. "I gave you a compliment."

A bit disturbed by what he had just seen, Motaro ordered his warriors forward. "Kill all of them."

Jax immediately opened fire, they didn't have much ammo on them in person, but they had a vast supply of ammo back in their jet, which had been safely hidden from view… or so they thought. Kano had seen them land and led a group of Tarkatas into the jet to investigate.

"Alright grunts. Check for any weapons." Kano said. "And when we're done, get clear as fast as you can."

Kano walked up to the jet control panels, looking around for a switch that would cause the plane to self-destruct.

"Come on, come on." Kano said, looking through the control panel. "Everything has a self-destruct switch."

Suddenly, looking to the right was Kano's answer. It was a panel with 4 or 5 buttons but Kano recognized it immediately. He flashed a grin as he began to active the jet's self- destruct.

It took more than one shot to cause the Centaurs to fall, for their skin was tougher than a human's. But ultimately they began to fall, while Jax and Sonya dealt with Motaro's warriors, Cage prepared to face off against Motaro himself.

"So, are you anything like Goro or Kintaro?" Cage asked.

Motaro growled at merely hearing their names. "Those pathetic Shokans? How DARE you compare me to them!" He seethed angrily.

"Wow, didn't mean you get started up, geez." Cage said, a bit disturbed.

Without another word, Motaro lunged at Cage, who barely managed to jump out of the way. Cage attempted his patented Shadow Uppercut, which struck Motaro's chin, however the Centaur quickly knocked the movie star away knocking him flat onto his back.

Cage recovered quickly and leapt back to his feet, throwing a forceball in the progress. Distracted by the little green ball of energy, Motaro was unprepared for Cage's trademark attack: the Shadow Kick. Struck in the chest, Motaro was fairly unaffected by Cage's attack and struck him back once again.

Motaro leapt at Cage, who barely managed to avoid having his chest stomped. Up against an opponent, he had never faced before, Cage was overwhelmed by Motaro's speed.

Meanwhile, Sonya's gun had run out of ammo. "Damn it!" she yelled, throwing it to the ground. "Jax! I'm out! Do you…"

Jax was currently engaging 3 Centuars at once with his new bionic arms. His machine gun had also run out of ammo, but his new arms seemed to be doing the job just fine. Each Centaur fell to Jax's might, but he couldn't keep up this charade for long. He was already tiring, and the Centaurs kept coming back for more.

Turning around to check on Cage. Sonya's heart was overcome with fear and horror for Cage had already fallen to Motaro's might, lying on the ground. He was bleeding very badly, he was struggling to keep consciousness.

"And now Johnny Cage. I will kill you in the name of Shao Kahn." Motaro said, about to crush Cage's skull with his foot.

"NO!"

Motaro looked to the right to see three rings of pink energy heading straight towards him, Motaro was struck by all three, but it wasn't enough to stun him. Quickly regaining his composure, Motaro looked over at Sonya, who had thrown the attack.

"Foolish girl." said Motaro, sinisterly. With that, he leapt into the air, Sonya had no time to react before Motaro was in front of her. In a moment, Sonya had been knocked back by Motaro's tail.

"Did you really think your feeble attacks could hurt me?" Motaro walked towards her, prepared to make the kill. Not willing to give in, Sonya stood up and with a battle cry in her throat, she ran at the Centaur with everything she had. He easily caught her attack and twisted her arm and held her up in the air.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" Sonya screamed in terrible pain.

"Time to die, girl." Motaro said, looking Sonya in the eyes.

Before Motaro could make the killing stroke, another forceball struck him in the face, causing him to drop Sonya, who collapsed onto her back, reeling from the terrible pain.

Motaro looked to see that Johnny Cage had managed to stand up, limping and terribly injured, he walked forward.

"Don't touch her…" Cage said, panting. He was barely conscious and bleeding profusely.

"Just for that." Motaro said, growling slightly. "You will die first while she watches."

Motaro leapt behind Cage, the movie star was too weak to turn around to strike back. Motaro seized Cage's head with both of his hands; one was on the back of his head, the other on his chin.

Sonya looked up to see that Motaro had Cage in a headlock, she tried to stand, but it was too late. Taking one last look into Johnny Cage's eyes, Sonya watched as Motaro moved his hands and Cage's head turned awkwardly. A snap was heard.

There was silence. Jax and the other Centuars had even paused to observe what was going on. Johnny Cage's lifeless body collapsed onto the ground, while tears began to roll down Sonya's face.

Johnny Cage was dead.


	3. Reunion

Motaro turned away from Johnny Cage's corpse. The job had been done, yet there were still two more who remained. "Which one of you wants to die first?" he asked, coldly.

Sonya fell onto her knees, and started to sob silently. Motaro did not even bother to look over, he could tell that the human girl was in emotional pain. "Very well, you shall go first."

Motaro raised the tip of his tail and a large red ball shot out at Sonya, but suddenly Jax stepped in the way and bringing his two arms up, he blocked the attack. Before Motaro could respond, Jax leapt forward and brought his fist down upon Motaro's face. The Centaur was stunned, albeit for a moment, as he stumbled back.

Jax took this moment to approach his grieving comrade, grabbing her arm, he tried to get her to her feet. Though they had lost a comrade in battle, they had no time for grievances.

"Sonya. C'mon, we've gotta go." Jax said, trying to get Sonya to stand up.

"But what about-" Sonya started, trying to hide the tears coming from her eyes.

"It's too late. He's dead, there's nothing we can do now."

"But-"

"C'mon!" Jax shouted. "Stop moping, soldier! Just get up!"

Reluctantly, Sonya got to her feet, and taking one last look at her fallen friend, she followed Jax back towards the jet.

No sooner than they had nearly reached the jet, did they hear a deafening explosion in the foreground. As debris flew up from the distance, Jax shielded Sonya with his body, but there we no need, all that came flying was small pieces of the Special Forces jet.

"What the hell was that?" Sonya asked, as she got to her feet.

"Well, I'll answer it for ya, Sonya."

Jax and Sonya instantly turned to the direction where the voice was coming from. Standing a few feet away, in safe distance from any attack that Sonya and Jax might've taken the initiative to throw was their old enemy: Kano. He had shaved off all of his hair, but it was still the same Kano. They knew by that eyeplate… Sonya had long since carried a deep resentment towards Kano, they fought at Shang Tsung's island, with Kano emerging as the victor. But the next time they engaged in combat, Sonya would make sure that she was the victor.

"Kano!" Sonya said, half in anger and half in surprise.

"Yes, me. Did you expect anyone else?"

Jax drew his pistol and pointed it at Kano, but the villain merely laughed. "Now, now, Jax, do you really think that's going to help you against all these Centaurs?"

"Maybe not against them, but against _you? _Oh, I think it'll help a lot."

With a grin, Kano tossed one of his butterfly knives at the unprepared Jax. Jax's pistol was almost instantly cut in half, rendering it useless. Jax threw what remained of the pistol to the ground in frustration.

"Well, I'd best be going now. Good luck finding yourselves another ride!" A portal opened behind Kano, who giving his two enemies one last wave, turned and started to head through.

"Oh no you don't!" Sonya shouted, as she ran after Kano. She wanted someone, _anyone_ to take out her anger over Johnny Cage's death. And Kano was the perfect person for that.

As Sonya leapt into the air to try to grab Kano before he escaped, but she was not quick enough. The former Black Dragon leader had already escaped through the portal as it shut behind me, Sonya let out a muffled grunt as she hit the ground, face first.

Jax ran to Sonya's aide and tried to help her get to her feet, but Sonya refused, standing on her own. "You okay?"

"Well, I'm okay, but I'm not hurt at least." Sonya said. "So what do we do now? From what Kano was talking about, it sounds like he destroyed the jet."

"Yeah, hopefully there's something workable in this city."

"What? Oh yeah, Jax, cars would be _real _useful against outrunning Centaurs." Sonya sneered.

"Not cars, Sonya. Something else."

O-O-O

As Liu Kang and Kung Lao made their way across China, trying to find a way to get to North America, they were also taking great considerable care to hide from any Extermination Squads they would encounter.

"You have any ideas?" Liu Kang asked.

"No, 'fraid I'm all out for this one, Liu." Kung Lao answered.

"Well, that's great, what are we supposed to do then? We can't get to North America without any form of transportation and imagine if the extermination squads saw a plane flying in the sky? It'd be shot down without a second thought."

"Your guess is as good as mine."

With a sigh, Liu Kang sat down on a nearby rock to take a rest. Walking all the way from China to the other side of Asia was a task in itself. Kung Lao decided to go and explore the next area that they would have to travel through.

"Be right back."

As Liu Kang relaxed, he couldn't help but think about Kitana, the girl he had met during his time in Outworld. She was a great help to him, sharing with him information and ultimately saving him from Shao Kahn, allowing him to defeat the tyrant. Yet she decided to stay behind in Outworld while he and his fellow Earthrealm warriors escaped back to Earth. He often regretted not convincing her to the do the same.

"Liu Kang! Get over here! Now!" Kung Lao shouted from a distance.

Wondering what could be the matter, Liu Kang instantly got up and ran off towards his friend. Was he under attack?

He did see any Tarkatas in the area, so Kung Lao was definitely not under attack from one of Kahn's extermination squads. Kung Lao was kneeling over someone, judging by sight, it was definitely a woman's body, clad in a blue leotard. He knew only one woman who would wear an outfit like that. As he moved past Kung Lao, he instantly recognized this woman. It was Kitana.

O-O-O

Deep in Shao Kahn's palace, inside was a chamber that was referred to as the Soul Chambers. Inside what looked to be the gaping mouth of a gargoyle were souls that twirled up and down like that of a tornado.

It was through these chambers that Shao Kahn was to take souls from the Netherrealm. Having received word from Rain, Shao Kahn personally headed towards the Soul Chambers to steal as many as souls as he possibly could. Reaching his hand inside, his reach began to extend into the Netherrealm.

The Netherrealm began to shake, several condemned souls found themselves being drawn towards the sky in the forbidden realm and no one was more displaced at this development than Shinnok himself.

"What is the meaning of this?" He shouted angrily. "Quan Chi?"

"I do not know, my lord. Something is causing the Netherrealm to shake." Quan Chi answered, holding on to a wall to sustain his balance.

"Oh really?" Shinnok said, irritated. "What made you think of that?"

"It must be Shao Kahn's doing. Only he could."

"I knew it!" Shinnok shouted. "I knew we couldn't trust him!"

"What's your plan of action, Lord Shinnok? Should I send the Brotherhood?"

"No, I'll do with this myself." Shinnok said, as he began to levitate. Shinnok then proceeded to blast through the roof of his own palace.

"Nobody seems to use windows anymore." Quan Chi remarked.

The former Elder God angrily shot his own beam of energy towards the sky. "Any soul that is condemned to the Netherrealm belongs to me and me alone!"

Back in Outworld, Shao Kahn began to feel the effects of Shinnok's counterattack. His face began to twitch in pain as he was propelled backward, hitting the far wall. Stunned, the Emperor brought himself to his knees, his screams of rage echoed throughout the palace.

Unbeknownst to neither Shao Kahn nor Shinnok, one soul had been freed. It was the ninja specter, Scorpion.

O-O-O

Flung out of the Netherrealm, Scorpion landed on the ruined streets of Earthrealm. As he regained his senses, Scorpion stood up. Much to his surprise, he was no longer standing in the pits of the Netherrealm, he was standing on the grounds of Earth….

O-O-O

Liu Kang nudged Kitana awake, who stirred for a moment, before opening her eyes.

"Kitana?" Liu Kang asked, concerned.

"Liu Kang, is that you?" Kitana asked, groaning in pain.

"Yes, it's me."

Liu Kang and Kung Lao helped Kitana get to her feet.

"I always thought about you, Kitana. I was worried that you would be…"

"No, I managed to avoid dying, that's all I can say."

"How'd you get here?" Kung Lao asked.

"Had a little help from a friend."

"A friend?" Liu Kang asked, curious.

"Don't worry about it." Kitana said. "So where am I?"

"You're in China."

"Oh, on Earthrealm?" Kitana asked, for a moment she tripped, but fortunately Liu Kang caught her and helped her get back to her feet.

"Easy now." said Liu Kang.

"I know. Sorry, I guess I'm still a little worn out." said Kitana.

"Kitana, the extermination squads, do you know anything about them?" Liu Kang asked.

"Well, in addition to Baraka and the Tarkatas, Shao Kahn has enlisted the Centaurs and…" She gasped. "Oh, Liu, you're their primary target. Kahn has placed a very high ransom on your head."

"Me?" Liu Kang asked.

"Well, it's not too surprising. Considering you have been the primary cause of their past failures." said Kung Lao.

"Yes, we'd best get moving… where are you two going exactly?"

"Raiden told us to head to North America, only problem is we have no way to get there, North America is impossible to reach by only walking through China." Liu Kang answered.

"Oh." Kitana said. "Your realm's terrain is different from Outworld. But we better keep moving, there's no telling when the extermination squads will…"

"Too late, princess."

The three turned to see Shang Tsung facing them from only a feet away, behind him were at least a dozen Shadow Priests. Although the outfit was different, and the hair was longer than before. There was no mistaking it: that man was Shang Tsung, the former Grandmaster of the Mortal Kombat Tournament.

"Shang Tsung?" Liu Kang yelled.

"Indeed, Liu Kang, it is I." Shang Tsung said, smiling. "And I will see to it, that _I _will be the one to take your soul. _Not _Shao Kahn."

"You'll have to deal with me first, sorcerer!" Kung Lao shouted.

"With pleasure, Lao!" Shang Tsung had previously lost to Kung Lao in the Outworld Tournament, a loss he was sure to redeem himself for. In Shang Tsung's hands, he formed his Straight Fire projectile attack, it shot out at Kung Lao, who was instantly propelled backwards on contact.

"Kung Lao!" Liu Kang shouted. Kung Lao was slightly moving, which could only mean that he had survived the blast.

"Now then, where were we? Oh yes… Do what you want with Lao and Kitana, but Kang is mine to kill." Tsung ordered to his Shadow Priests.

Kitana drew her two twin fans as Kung Lao got to his feet. "Be careful, Liu." He warned. "He's a lot more powerful than he used to be."

Liu Kang gave a slight nod, just as the Shadow Priests made their attack. Liu Kang had to force his way past them, as Kitana and Kung Lao began to engage the Shadow Priests in battle.

As Liu Kang ran towards him, Shang Tsung prepared another Straight Fire projectile, but Liu Kang was ready and leapt to the side. Before Shang Tsung could prepare another attack, Liu Kang performed his Flying Kick technique, which knocked the sorcerer onto the ground.

"I really, _really _hate that kick."

In frustration, Shang Tsung got to his feet, and prepared another fire attack, but this time it came at Liu Kang from both sides, the young warrior had little time to dodge and was struck by the fire. Landing on the ground, Liu Kang quickly got to his feet to dodge Shang Tsung's next attack.

Shang Tsung began to transform, taking the form of a ninja that Liu Kang had never seen before. Suddenly, Liu Kang began to levitate in the sky against his will and was slammed into the ground multiple times. He was then flung towards Shang Tsung, who turned back to normal.

Just when the sorcerer thought he had won, Liu Kang swept his foot around, tripping the sorcerer, then bringing his feet around a second time. He struck the backside of Shang Tsung's head. The two began to engage in a string of physical combos, each trying to gain the advantage. While blows were dealt on both sides, it was becoming more and more clear that Liu Kang had the advantage.

With a grin, Shang Tsung changed form again, this time into Kitana, this caused Liu Kang to stop attacking for a moment, allowing Shang Tsung to get in a quick hit to the stomach. But this hesitation quickly ended, when Liu Kang managed to get in a quick jab to the chest, causing the sorcerer to revert to normal.

Liu Kang and Shang Tsung resumed their attack on the other. Despite his advantage in sheer power, Shang Tsung was overmatched by the young warrior's speed and skill. In desperation, Shang Tsung leapt into the air, trying to slam Liu Kang into the ground with both of his feet, but Liu Kang managed to leap backwards, dodging the attack. Before Shang Tsung could get himself set up after missing his attack. Liu Kang's foot struck Shang Tsung across the face, sending the sorcerer flying off into the distance.

As he lay slightly injured, the sorcerer pounded his fist in frustration. "Why can't I defeat him…? He's only a boy…"

"It's over, sorcerer." He heard Liu Kang say, Kitana and Kung Lao had rushed to Liu Kang's side, this could only mean that the Shadow Priests had been defeated.

"No… it's not over yet, boy." Tsung said, getting to his feet. "We'll meet again, I guarantee it, Champion."

Before any of them could make a move, the sorcerer vanished through a portal.

"You all right?" Kung Lao asked.

"Yeah, I'm not injured." Liu Kang answered, brushing himself off.

"Good." Suddenly Kung Lao just remembered. "Kitana, what was it they resurrected in order to invade Earth?"

"It… It was…" She seemed rather sad.

"Kitana?" Liu Kang said, noticing Kitana's discomfort.

"My mother… they resurrected my mother."


	4. Old Friends

On the other side of China, a former Lin Kuei Warrior was on the run. The upper half of his body was now only clad with two blue straps. He was the younger brother of the previous Sub-Zero, who was killed in combat by Scorpion during the Mortal Kombat Tournament. Yet strangely, when Sub-Zero fought Scorpion himself, he was surprised that his life was spared.

Now once again, he was being targeted, after escaping the Lin Kuei he had no idea as to what had happened to Smoke, who attempted to escape with him. He had heard Raiden's message, but as of now, saving the world was not his interest.

As he continued along his way, he could hear the sound of a missile. And he knew that there could only one source: Sektor. Looking up, he saw the missile was nearly on top of him. He quickly rolled to the side, dodging what would've been a fatal strike.

As he regained his balance, Sub-Zero knew that Sektor himself couldn't be far away, but the best option was to run for now instead of taking the cyborg head on.

Running through the forest, Sub-Zero made every effort possible to conceal himself. Taking a moment's rest behind a tree, Sub-Zero made sure to keep his eyes open for any sign of Cyrax or Sektor. If Sektor was here, Cyrax couldn't be far behind.

His body was started to tire, something he knew his soulless assassins wouldn't have to worry about. There was barely any time for him to sleep. Yet he wondered, he had not seen Smoke since he was separated from his friend after his escape from the Lin Kuei.

Suddenly, he heard a clinking sound, and he immediately leapt from the tree. His instincts proved to be right, as he had only just managed to avoid getting ensnared by a green net.

Wasting no time, Sub-Zero ran as fast as he could towards the clearing, aware that now both Cyrax and Sektor were nearly right behind him. Now he had to act, stopping for a moment, Sub-Zero turned around and managed to temporarily freeze both Cyrax and Sektor into place with a freeze projectile. That wouldn't hold them for very long, however.

Wasting no time, Sub-Zero proceeded to make his way through the clearing, but as he arrived, he became to notice that it was suddenly getting very foggy in the sky. Only it wasn't normal fog… it was smoke.

O-O-O

At Shao Kahn's palace, all of the extermination squads had returned. Kahn had issued a progress report. The squad leaders gathered in the Great Hall. With Shang Tsung and Sindel by his side, Kahn selected Motaro to speak first.

"We encountered three Earthrealm warriors, today, my liege."

"Oh? And who were they?"

"Their names are Jax, Sonya Blade, and Johnny Cage?"

"Who is "Johnny Cage"?" Kahn asked, slightly confused.

"He's the one who wears those sunglasses." Tsung answered for him.

"Oh yes. The stupid one."

"You need not worry about him any longer, my emperor. He was struck down by my own hand." Motaro declared, proudly.

"Excellent work." Kahn said. "And what of the other two?"

"I'll answer that one." Kano broke in.

"You will speak when spoken to, worm." Motaro said, about ready to swipe Kano across the face.

"Stand down, Motaro." declared Kahn.

With a slight bow, Motaro did as he was told.

"Yes, well, we destroyed those grunts' only method of transportation, now they're trapped in a city surrounded by Extermination Squads, no way they'll get out."

"Hmm, well then, you had best make sure that those two are dead by tomorrow, otherwise… well, I think you've gathered the idea, correct?"

Kano nodded nervously. "Um, yes. The grunts will be dead by the end of tomorrow…"

"Good. Now then, Shang Tsung, I hear you had a little encounter with Kang today… I assume it do not go well." Amusement could be found in Kahn's otherwise stern voice.

"No better than your stupid little attempt to take souls from the Netherrealm." Shang Tsung whispered.

"What was that, Shang Tsung?" shouted Kahn.

"Um, no sir, it did not go well at all." Shang Tsung said, fearfully.

"I thought so." said Kahn. "It is I, who deserve the honor of crushing the Champion in Kombat, do not forget your place, sorcerer."

"No, sir. I won't." Tsung said, trying to hide his anger. _"If he think that I'm going to just let him take Kang's soul, he's gravely mistaken. It is my right, and mine alone. Though to be honest with myself, perhaps it is not Kang who deserves my animosity." _

Meanwhile, deep below the city where Motaro had slain Johnny Cage, the two survivors made their way to the suburbs. Not knowing why Jax had led them there, Sonya nevertheless continued to follow her superior.

"I just hope there's something here." Jax mused to himself.

"Yeah…" Sonya said, dryly.

"You still thinking about it, Sonya?"

"Well…" Sonya started.

"I know it's rough, but you've got to stop this."

"I know I should but…"

"Sonya… it's a war out there, we're not just fighting for ourselves here and we're not fighting for just him, no, we're fighting to keep our very freedom alive."

Sonya did not look at Jax as he spoke, merely nodding her head numbly. Even Jax was surprised at Sonya's sharp change in personality, but nonetheless, he continued his lecture.

"It's a war, Sonya. There are always casualties in war. I thought you understood that."

"I do." Sonya whispered.

"Well, you're acting as though you're green again."

Green is army term for rookie soldiers.

Sonya lifted her head up. "I guess you're right…"

"We can mourn for him after we've won… _if _we win for that matter." Jax said, turning around.

"If?" Sonya whispered. Never before in her life had she heard her superior officer say "If", even the Major couldn't help but feel somewhat worried about this predicament. Sonya couldn't blame him, they were under the remains of a ruined city, with countless Centuars roaming the streets above, if they were found, there would be no escape.

"Hold on." Jax said, lifting his hand up to stop Sonya from proceeding.

"What?" she asked.

Jax ignored Sonya's question and proceeded forth on his own. Gazing around a nearby corner, Sonya saw a smile form across the Major's face.

"We're in luck, the Subway down here is still intact."

"Huh?" Sonya said, somewhat surprised. "You mean that…"

"Yup, we can use it to get to our friends."

"Oh! Seriously? That's great!"

"Yeah, it looks like it still works, c'mon Lieutenant, we're moving out."

O-O-O

Meanwhile, the fog surrounding Sub-Zero was starting to get more and more thick, holding his breath, the ninja attempted to make his way through, he knew that something like this wouldn't stop Cyrax nor Sektor from pursuing him, he needed to keep going and no natural disaster would make him stop.

He only found time for quick meals these days, hunting for food and devouring them as soon as he had made the kill. This was starting to take its toll for Sub-Zero had found himself running noticeably slower than in recent weeks. He barely had time to sleep either, stopping for only two hours before he resumed his desperate attempt to keep ahead of his pursuers.

Unbeknownst to Sub-Zero, this fog was not a natural occurrence, a third cyborg was pursuing him neither Cyrax nor Sektor, distinguishable only by its' gray color. The new cyborg silently made its way closer to the unsuspecting ninja. And by the time that Sub-Zero started to hear it, it was too late…

Suddenly, he felt a horrible pain in his throat as he heard himself desperately gasping for air. Slowly, his feet rose off the ground, and he found that what was holding him was indeed a cybernetic arm, but he did not know which one had grabbed him: Cyraz or Sektor.

He soon found it to be neither cyborg, one that he did not recognize, but he could feel something familiar about it.

The cyborg's name was Unit LK-7T2: Smoke. Sub-Zero's best friend converted into a cyborg, but his memories of his human life had been stripped away during his automation, the man Sub-Zero knew was gone, replaced with a soulless assassin, remembering nothing of his friend, all of his sensors are just told him one simple thing:

Primary Target: Sub-Zero Identified 

_Terminate_


	5. The Return of Raiden

The cyborg's grip begin to tighten around Sub-Zero's throat, in a few minutes, Sub-Zero's neck would've been shattered, thinking quickly, the ninja managed to strike the cyborg squarely in the chest. This managed to loosen it's grip on his neck just enough for Sub-Zero to slip away.

Taking this incentive, the ninja attempted to move in and strike the cyborg down while it was still stunned, he managed to knock it to the ground with a quick knee attack. But he knew that it would not stun the robot for long.

Taking this opportunity, Sub-Zero resumed his desperate escape from his soulless assassins. Before he could cinch his escape, the smoke began to swirl around him. This was not natural for fog, now Sub-Zero knew that something was not right. Holding his breath, Sub-Zero managed to avoid possible smoke inhalation.

As the smoke around him cleared, Sub-Zero noticed that the new cyborg was back on his feet, and for the first time, he saw that puffs of smoke surrounded his body. Only one other person had that "ability." As he faced the cyborg, he couldn't help but feel a certain amount of dread filling his mind, for this cyborg was beginning to remind him of his best friend, Smoke, who had been missing for several months now.

As much as he would like not to believe it, deep down, Sub-Zero knew that it was true… although he had succeeded in eluding capture, Smoke did not, he was forced to undergo the automation process. Smoke had become a cyborg, one without a soul, and a being with only one purpose: to destroy his best friend.

O-O-O

Liu Kang's group had decided to rest for the night, not affording to start a fire out of fear of possibly being spotted, they merely sat on a circle of rocks as Kung Lao took out the small backpack that contained several small supplies, most notably, food.

"What did you pack?" Liu Kang asked.

"Well, let's see here…" Kung Lao spoke, as he ran his hand through the bag. "Well, here we are."

"Is your food any similar to what we eat on Outworld?" asked Kitana, some curiosity in her voice.

"Well, you'd have to answer that one. I made special notice not to eat anything that came from Outworld while we there a few months ago." answered Kung Lao. "Anyway, here we are. We've got some Kung Pao chicken here… and I'm aware of the names similarity, so don't bother pointing that out." He said to Kitana.

"Actually, I wasn't going to."

"Oh."

Liu Kang took a bite into his chicken, but after that, he set it back down. Despite all the long journeys he had been taking recently, he wasn't really all that hungry. Kitana examined her chicken for a moment and with a shrug started to eat.

"So Kitana, what do you know about your mother aside from her death?" Liu Kang asked.

"Oh, I don't really know much. I just know that she died when I was still a baby. All I know of my parents is that they died because of that monster, Shao Kahn."

"Yes, I know that.' Liu Kang decided to change the subject upon noticing how uncomfortable Kitana seemed to be when talking about it. "What happened after we separated?"

"I managed to avoid capture for a short while, but I couldn't outrun forever. I was taken back, where I was held prisoner in the dungeons and tried for killing Mileena."

"You killed your own sister?" Kung Lao broke in.

"Well, more clone than sister, really.' answered Kitana. "Anyway, shortly after, I managed to get away and that's when you found me."

"I see…" Liu Kang said.

"So what you two been up to since I last saw you?"

"Well, it's a long story but… since our Shaolin Temples had been destroyed thanks to Baraka and his men, we've set about rebuilding the Shaolin Temples and recruiting a new generation Shaolin Monks. But this invasion by Shao Kahn has put our plans on hold for the time being."

Liu Kang stood up and walked over towards the edge of the hill, merely staring at the blank, empty sky. Kitana briefly got up to follow him and walked over to Liu Kang.

"What's the matter?' she asked.

"N-nothing."

Kitana flashed a slight smile. "Is that so? Are you being sh-?"

Before Kitana could finish her sentence, Kung Lao clasped his hand over her mouth and whispered to her ear.

"Now's not the time to be flirting, Kitana."

Kung Lao led Kitana away, before removing his hand from her mouth.

"You see… He blames himself for the attack in the first place."

"Why? He had nothing to do with it."

"Well… seeing as how he is the Mortal Kombat Champion. The Shaolin Temples were targeted mainly for this reason."

"Yes, I know that was their way of "persuading" him into coming to Outworld. But I didn't know that he held himself so accountable for.."

"He wasn't really responsible, and while he tried to deny it at first, he eventually couldn't help but feel guilt."

"Now, now. I don't think Liu Kang would like it if he knew you two were talking about him behind his back."

Kung Lao and Kitana suddenly looked up to see that someone had apparently been standing next to them the whole time.

"I see you three have been just sitting around while the Extermination Squads are out there trying to kill you. Good strategy."

"Raiden?"

"Yes. Considering our past encounters, I would think you'd recognize me by now, Kung Lao."

"Well…" Kung Lao started, somewhat embarrassed.

"Raiden. It's good to see you." said Liu Kang, before hesitating for a moment upon remembering Raiden's message from earlier. "I thought that you said you couldn't interfere…"

"Yes, I did say that. But… let's just say there's been a change of plans."

"What do you mean?" asked Kitana.

"I'll explain everything later. Right now we must get to Nightwolf's Indian camp."

"Speaking of which, Raiden, we're having some trouble trying to get there." said Kung Lao.

"Let me guess. Lack of portals, right?"

"Yes… And you definitely can't reach North America from China by just walking on your own two feet. It's impossible."

"Well, hold on, Kung Lao. Before you stress that any further. Try to remember, you're currently in the presence of a god that can teleport anywhere and wherever he chooses."

Kung Lao could only stare blankly. "Well, I was just…"

"You're rather forgetful today, Kung Lao." said Raiden with a slight smile.

Kung Lao replied with an annoyed look, to which Kitana smirked.

"Raiden. Have the others already arrived at this Indian camp already?" Liu Kang asked.

"That I am afraid, I do not know."

O-O-O

Shao Kahn's Palace 

"Jade. Step forward." Kahn ordered, sitting on his throne.

Jade gave a modest bow, before kneeling down. "Yes, my Emperor?"

"I'm sure you know full well by now that Kitana has escaped."

Jade did her best to sound as casual as possible. "Yes, I have."

"And do you know why I have summoned you?"

"No, sir."

"I have summoned you here because I am assigning you the task of capturing her."

A feeling of dread and horror filled Jade's senses, she was so stunned that she forgot to respond to Kahn's order.

"Jade? Did you not hear what I said?"

"Oh- no, I heard you perfectly, my Lord. I shall do as you ask."

"Good. Bring her back alive, if you would."

"Yes, I shall."

Kahn gave Jade the permission to rise and she silently left Kahn's chambers.

As Jade walked out, she stopped for a moment to notice that Reptile had now been summoned into Kahn's chambers. Deciding that it wasn't her business to intrude, she departed.

O-O-O

Nightwolf's Homeland 

Nightwolf had long since worked to preserve his Indian heritage, but he was not unaccustomed to the technology of today. After receiving a vision from Raiden, Nightwolf immediately worked to protect his homeland from Shao Kahn's invasion. Now this was the only land that was not claimed by the evil emperor.

Working to set up tents for the chosen warriors to settle in, Nightwolf was interrupted by the sound of lightning hitting the ground.

"You have prepared exactly as I had instructed. Good work, Nightwolf." said Raiden.

Nightwolf turned his attention away from the tent that he was currently working on, and approached the Thunder God. "Thank you, Raiden.' He then noticed the three warriors that Raiden had brought along with them. "Are they-?"

"Yes, they are. And I'm immediately going to pick the others up." Raiden said, holding up his staff.

"Wait, Raiden. I want to know about-."

"Patience, Liu Kang. I shall inform all of you as soon as I've rescued all of the other Earth warriors. Until then."

Once again, Raiden vanished.

Liu Kang turned to Nightwolf. "I am Liu Kang. I come from the Shaolin Temples. This is Kung Lao. He's also a Shaolin Monk."

"And I am Princess Kitana. Well, that is to say, I _was _princess."

"I see. Welcome to my tribe's scared homeland. I admit, it is not up to the standards of a traditional American household but it should provide enough shelter for all of us separately."

Liu Kang and Kung Lao both nodded while Kitana examined the tents that Nightwolf had set up.

"So far, your realm does not seem much different from Outworld in terms of culture."

"Oh, well, if you had been here before Earth was invaded, you might've seen the big cities in North America. They're a lot different than what you see in Outworld." said Kung Lao.

"Oh, so which one of you would like to tell me more about Earthrealm's culture?"

They didn't look so eager to do that.

O-O-O

Shang Tsung's chambers 

Ever since his defeat in the Mortal Kombat at the hands of Liu Kang, Shang Tsung has been consumed by thoughts of revenge.

"I've surpassed Lao in skill and power by now, he's just an insect to me now, but there's also Kang."

No other warrior was able to defeat him like that, except for the original Kung Lao, whose soul now resided within Shang Tsung. His descendant may have triumphed in the Outworld Tournament, but in their next encounter, Shang Tsung had made clear that Kung Lao was now no match, but he still couldn't defeat Liu Kang. Why?

"He's everything you want in a hero. He's strong, kind, and courageous. He's absolutely perfect. Perfectly INFURIATING! He makes me crazy!" screamed the sorcerer as he pounded on the table several times.

"Now what could possibly make the great Shang Tsung throw a tantrum like a child?"

Shang Tsung turned around, to see none other than Sindel standing in his doorway, a sly smile across her face.

With a sigh, Shang Tsung turned around. "What do you want?"

"I've noticed that you've been insulting my husband behind his back recently."

"Yes, it's just unfortunate that your husband is so incompetent."

"Is that so? Well, I suppose you think you could lead Outworld better?"

"Indeed, I do." Shang Tsung said with a smile.

"Really? From what I've heard, you couldn't even beat a simple boy."

"And Kahn could?"

"He's gained much more power since then."

"So have I."

Sindel approached the sorcerer, who tried to distance himself from the Outworld queen as much as possible. "So tell me about this Liu Kang. What makes him so special in the eyes of Shao Kahn?"

"He's robbed Outworld of victory twice, he simply must be dealt with."

"I expect there's more to Liu Kang than that. You two both seem to have a certain obsession with him."

"If you mean that all I've wanted since my original defeat was my revenge against him. Then yes, I would say that I'm obsessed."

"I see. From what I can tell by watching you and how you foolishly went off on your own to defeat him without Shao Kahn's orders says to me that if we are going to lose this war, it's going to be because of your obsession with defeating him."

Tsung turned to face her in anger. "If we're going to lose this war, it's going to be because of your husband's ego driven _stupidity_!"

Sindel could only offer a soft laugh. "You know nothing, little man."

"_Little_!"

Still smiling, Sindel left the room; apparently the only thing she wanted to get out of this visit was Shang Tsung's frustration. Shang Tsung decided to follow her in secret, something strange was going on, that much he knew. Sindel's visit was most peculiar.

As Sindel turned down the right hallway, Shang Tsung perched himself up against the wall.

"So, you spoke with Shang Tsung?" He heard Kahn's voice say.

"Yes, he's very obsessed with defeating Liu Kang. Which makes me wonder, how can one mortal be giving Outworld so much trouble?"

"Kang is a formidable warrior to be sure, but he's no match for me now." Kahn said.

"But what about Shang Tsung? I've noticed that he's been insulting you for quite some time now."

"Yes. I have noticed that myself, but do not worry, for as soon as his purpose is served, I shall take his own soul for myself."

Shang Tsung just barely avoided pounding his fist into the wall, for he knew it would alert the emperor to his presence, he knew Kahn was not to be trusted, but he was no other choice than to serve him for these past centuries.

Now that Shang Tsung knew that Kahn's betrayel was inevitable, he knew that he would have to take action soon. With an evil smile on his face, Shang Tsung retired back to his chambers, preparing to plot Shao Kahn's downfall.


	6. The Gathering

_The Subway_

Jax took the controls and piloted the Subway Train into the tunnels. Sonya sat in one of the passenger rows, nodding off. For hours, there was dead silence. Until suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck inside the train, causing its lights to blink on and off for a few seconds.

"What the hell is going on?" Jax roared, as he stepped into the passenger's booth, only to see what had caused the brief disturbance. "Oh… well, look who shows now _after _the fighting's over."

"Don't get started with me, Jax." said Raiden. "You know I wasn't permitted to interfere at the start of the invasion."

"Why not?" Sonya said, now standing, looking Raiden in the eyes, a look of accusation on her face.

"Sometime when the world isn't being invaded, I'll draw you a diagram." Raiden responded.

Raiden turned to look at Jax, and saw the cybernetic arms that Jax had implanted on himself. "Why are you wearing those?"

As though he was surprised by the question, Jax took a step back. "What's it matter to ya?"

"It doesn't… tell me anyway."

"These things are just added muscle, that's all it is."

"Well, if I were any other mentor I would preach you on trusting your own inner strength, but I'm not any other mentor, so I'm not gonna do that."

Sonya continued to stare at Raiden, a look of anger on her face, when Raiden turned to face her, he was noticeably puzzled. "And what did I say to deserve that look?"

Sonya didn't answer, Raiden choose to continue. "I know about Johnny Cage. I'm sorry."

"If you had been there, you could've been able to save him."

Raiden took a moment to answer. "Perhaps I could've. But now is not the time for grievances, I must take you two to Nightwolf's camp, it is the only place where you'll be safe. Liu Kang, Kung Lao and Kitana are already there."

"Who else is gonna be there besides us?" Jax asked.

"First, a warrior named Kurtis Stryker. Second, a Black Dragon named Kabal."

"What?" Sonya and Jax yelled out in unison.

"Yes… please keep in mind that I do not take your personal lives into account when I'm trying to prevent Earth from being assimilated into another realm."

"But he's a Black Dragon!" Sonya protested.

Before Raiden could explain, the train had come to a stop.

"That's weird. I didn't pull the brakes." said Jax.

"Raiden must've caused the thing to short-circuit when he teleported in." surmised Sonya.

"As though you two were going to continue using it." said Raiden. "Let's just go now…"

"Hold on." interrupted Sonya. "I think there's someone outside."

Sonya pointed over to the window, where they could see a silhouette passing by. Jax ripped off the nearest door.

"Who goes there?" he shouted.

"Whoa! Hold on." shouted the man. Now that Jax could step out of the train doors, he could see that this stranger was not among Shao Kahn's ranks, judging by his very uniform.

"What's your name?" Jax asked.

"My name's Kurtis Stryker."

"Stryker?" Jax said, turning to face Raiden, who nodded.

"Look, right now, I'd rather keep moving, I've got some weird guys with tails following me, good luck to ya."

Stryker began to run off.

"You keep running away and they'll eventually catch up." said Raiden.

Stryker stopped running and turned to face Raiden. "And I suppose you know somewhere that's safe?"

"I may."

"Really? And how do I know I can trust you."

"Look. Long story short, I'm the Thunder God of Earth, I'm here to help you, you have to fight an evil warlord bent on taking your realm as his own. Clear enough for you?"

O-O-O

_Somewhere in North America_

This was apparently Earth. But it appeared to be different, the buildings were in ruins, and there was no sign of any human anywhere. Scorpion began to survey the surrounding area, still no sign of life.

"This is Earth?… It must be. But how did I get back?"

Then again, did it really matter? He was home. This was his home, not the Netherrealm. It wasn't the same, but nothing could be worse than the true Hell.

After hours of searching the grounds, he still could not surmise what city he was in. He was in North America; that much he knew for certain based on the culture. He didn't know what happened, but it looked like a nuclear bomb had hit the city.

"Halt!"

Scorpion turned to see another ninja, this one clad in purple approaching him.

"Are you with the Earthrealm warriors?"

"And what if I was?" Scorpion replied.

"Then I'd have to kill you. Shao Kahn demands it."

"Really? Think you can kill someone who's already dead?"

"Already dead?" Rain responded, confused. "Wait – maybe Lord Kahn's endeavor with the Netherrealm didn't completely fail after all."

"Not sure I know what you're talking about – not that I care either."

"So then, Spawn of Hell, I give you an offer: Serve my master Shao Kahn, and I shall spare your soul."

"No, and the name is Scorpion."

"If you do not comply, Scorpion, then I shall have to treat you as though you were one of Earthrealm's Chosen Warriors."

"Frankly, I'm not interested at all in this war of yours – or whatever it is you're doing. So, if you value your well being, you'd leave now."

"I cannot do that. Those who do not serve Shao Kahn shall die! Prepare to face the wrath of…"

"Whatever, just fight." Scorpion interrupted.

O-O-O

_Shao Kahn's palace_

Shao Kahn was walking down the corridor hallway, Sheeva had to run in order to catch up.

"Lord Kahn, I really must object to…" started Sheeva.

"You will not question my decisions, Sheeva." Kahn said, knowing that Sheeva was going to bring up the matter with the Centaurs.

"But you know perfectly as anyone the feud between the Centaurs and my people."

Kahn stopped and turned to face her. "Your duty is to protect Queen Sindel, nothing else. Know your place, Shokan."

With that, Kahn proceeded ahead, leaving Sheeva to a do a halfhearted bow.

As soon as Kahn was out of sight and earshot; Shang Tsung took this opportunity to approach the disgruntled Shokan. "You and I share a common hatred, Sheeva. Of the centaurs and of Kahn."

Sheeva turned to face Tsung. "What do you want, sorcerer?"

"I desire to help you, Sheeva. In fact, I think you should take action against Motaro and the others."

"And I suppose you can help with that?"

"Indeed, I can." Tsung said, with a smile, handing Sheeva the sword that he was carrying. "Wait for the right moment to slay Shao Kahn. Once you do this, I will give your people great and vast power when I become Emperor of Outworld, and I shall see to it that the Centaurs are completely wiped out."

Sheeva did not take long to think about Tsung's offer, she extended her bottom left arm, and Tsung shook it. "Agreed."

"Agreed." Tsung said, an evil grin on his face.

O-O-O

Shao Kahn had now linked arms with his Queen Sindel, as he made his way to the dining hall.

"Father!" Mileena shouted.

Kahn turned to face Mileena. "What is it?"

"It's about Ki..." she started.

Shao Kahn turned to Sindel. "My dear, please go inside, I won't be too long."

Somewhat surprised at this request, Sindel did as she was told.

Once Sindel had closed the door, Mileena began to finish her sentence, but before she could, Kahn slapped her across the face with the back of his hand, knocking her up against the wall.

"Wretch! You will not mention Kitana's name in front of Sindel! **Understand**?"

"Y-Y-Yes! Yes, Father! I understand!" replied Mileena, fearfully.

"Good." said Kahn, backing down. "Now what have you to say?"

"I've been reading Kitana's thoughts. I know where the Earth warriors are gathering at."

"Do you now?" Kahn said, sounding pleased.

"Yes, but – Raiden has made it so this land is protected by some kind of magic, it's the only part of Earth that hasn't been touched by Outworld. We can't set foot on it."

Kahn growled. "Curse you Raiden… what about your "partner"? That Noob Saibot?"

"I have not seen him lately. He did not go with Reptile or Jade on their mission to find Kitana nor is he with Baraka or the other generals."

" I see. I'll attend to this matter later, but right now, my wife is waiting for dinner."

O-O-O

Noob Saibot could be found in the lower corridors of the palace, speaking to what appeared to be a portal to another realm on first glance, if one peered closer, they could see the image of Shinnok on the other side.

"What is that you wish to tell me, Lord Shinnok?" Saibot asked.

"Noob Saibot, Shao Kahn has just recently attempted to take the Netherrealm and all its souls for himself. He is becoming far too powerful."

"I see. What is it that you desire of me to do, my lord?"

"For the time being, continue feigning loyalty to that fool of an emperor, but when the time comes I want you to assist the Earthrealm warriors in anyway possible."

"Yes, my master. But why assist the Earthrealm warriors? Are they not your enemies too?"

"They are, but I'm not going to let Shao Kahn take a realm that is rightfully mine. And now, after his foolish attempt to invade my domain, it's time I struck back. Pass these orders onto Mileena."

"Yes, my master but… regarding Mileena, do you think it wise to include her in our endeavors, she _is _his daughter after all, or at least partly his daughter."

"She will do as I say. She knows full well what will happen should she betray me." Shinnok replied.

"Very good, Master." said Saibot.

"See that it's done, Saibot."

"I shall do as you command, Lord Shinnok."

O-O-O

_Asia_

Sub-Zero was nearing the breaking point; he had gone without food for too long. It would not be much longer before he either collapsed from exhaustion or died from starvation. He had only been delaying the inevitable. Soon he would have to make his last stand.

He stopped at nearby tree so he could catch his breath. As he prepared to face what would most likely be his last battle, he began to think about his life. His Lin Kuei training, his brother, Smoke, he even thought about Scorpion.

Smoke was the first cyborg to appear, Sub-Zero knew that while it may be useless, it'd be worth a try.

"Smoke. Do you know who I am?"

"You are the Lin Kuei's target for termination."

"No, no, Smoke. You know me. You were my only friend, remember?"

"That information does not compute." Smoke responded.

"Smoke… just listen to me. You and I both tried to escape when the Lin Kuei automated Cyrax and Sektor. I…. I… I should never have suggested splitting up. I'm sorry, Smoke. It's my fault."

Smoke hesitated before responding. "Does not compute."

"I won't fight you, Smoke."

"So be it." Smoke's chest opened up.

"I don't blame you, Smoke. Just know that."

Surprisingly, Smoke hesitated. Seeing this, a small piece of hope entered Sub-Zero's heart.

But before Sub-Zero could say anything further, Sektor had arrived, opening his chest compartment.

"Your time is up, Sub-Zero."

Sub-Zero then noticed Cyrax approaching from the left. He was now surrounded on all sides. With a heavy sigh, Sub-Zero braced himself for one last battle. At the very least, he could destroy one of them before he succumbed to death.

But before the battle could start, three bolts of lightning came soaring down from the sky, going past Sub-Zero, each lightning bolt struck a different cyborg, sending all three flying through the air and out of sight. As a precaution, Sub-Zero leapt out of the way.

The lightning then began to take solid form, which Sub-Zero almost instantly recognized as the Thunder God, Raiden.

"We meet again, Sub-Zero."

"Raiden. I didn't ask for your help." Sub-Zero replied, coldly.

"You're welcome." Raiden responded, sarcastically.

"I didn't need it either." said Sub-Zero, preparing to leave.

"Certainly didn't look that way to me."

"Well, I certainly don't need it now. I'll be going now."

"To where and why? You're at the end of your rope. You can't keep running. You need food, water and rest."

"I can do that on my own."

"Can you?"

"What's it matter to you?"

"If you come with me, I can provide you with sanctuary from your soulless assassins as well as the extermination squads."

"What? And join your little "band"? It's not happening, Thunder God."

"Your funeral then."

Sub-Zero stopped walking and turned back to Raiden.

"Last chance, Sub-Zero. You can either come to the sanctuary and increase your chances of survival or you can keep running on your own, which will eventually lead to your death one way or another."

Sub-Zero paused. "Fine. But I warn you, my reasons are purely selfish, I could care less about what happens to you or anyone else."

Raiden merely nodded. "Very well then. You're not that much unlike your brother at all. We're going to North America, it's in..."

Unbeknownst to Raiden and Sub-Zero, the three cyborgs were not damaged by Raiden's attack; hiding on a nearby cliff, Cyrax was using a directional microphone from his arm panel to listen in to their conversation.

"The target is heading to North America." He said, his directional microphone retracting back into his arm.

"Then that's where we'll head." replied Sektor.

"We have no method of transportation." said Cyrax.

"Then we'll walk. We are not too far from the Atlantic Ocean, we can walk through water, it won't harm our circuits."

"I know of what state they'll be in, but I was unable to discover what their precise location will be."

"It won't matter. We shall find him eventually. Now, we must move."

Smoke did not understand why he had hesitated when he had the chance to assassinate Sub-Zero, such an error should not have occurred. Dismissing it as a mere minor malfunction, Smoke followed Cyrax and Sektor.

O-O-O

_Nightwolf's camp_

By now, all of the Chosen Warriors had gathered, sitting around a fire as Raiden stood before them. Sub-Zero was noticeably distant from the others, perched against a tree, his arms crossed. Sonya would noticeably cast him a suspicious look every so often.

"Some of you knew that this day was coming, where you'd be forced to fight for your very lives by Shao Kahn. We have already lost Johnny Cage."

Those who knew him bowed their heads for a brief moment.

"And I do not know what has become of Kabal, I can only suspect that he has encountered the extermination squads as well. We are now all that's standing against an uncountable number of Outworld soldiers. Our chances of victory are slim. But if we do not try, then the realm that you've come to love and cherish as your home will be no more than a fading memory.'

"I was forbidden to interfere at the start of Shao Kahn's invasion, I appealed to the Elder Gods and begged them for assistance in stopping Shao Kahn, but it was not to be. I had to take matters into my own hands. I've risked my place in the pantheon of gods and have given up my own immortality to assist you in the coming struggle. It is now a matter of fate. Rest up, for tomorrow, your training begins."

"Training?" Sonya said, surprised.

"Yes, while each of you is a skilled warrior in your own right, none of you can beat Shao Kahn as you are now, not even you, Liu Kang. You must get stronger if you are to survive. Now rest up, we have many long and trying days ahead of us. I will return in the morning, but I will keep a watch for any extermination squad that approaches."

After the briefing, Raiden once again vanished.

Most of the warriors began to retire, picking their tents as they went.

"I'll take this one." Sonya said, pointing towards it.

Unfortunately for her, Sub-Zero just walked right in the tent that she had chosen.

"What the-?" Sonya growled. "I can't believe Raiden choose not only a Black Dragon member but an assassin?"

"What's the problem, Sonya?" Liu Kang asked her, as he walked by.

"That Sub-Zero. I'm not sure we can trust him." Sonya said, as of now, Liu Kang was one of the few warriors who Sonya completely knew.

"Well… he does seem a bit… standoffish, but I wouldn't worry about it. He's probably just gone through a lot." Liu said, before going into his own tent.

Sonya stopped Nightwolf from entering his tent. "Hey, Nightwolf, right? What do we do about showers?"

Nightwolf turned to face her. "We don't have showers here, the only thing that I can offer for you is that moat over there."

"Moat?" Sonya exclaimed, displeased. "That's all? And… it's completely in sight, anyone could see you."

Nightwolf shrugged and retired to his tent. Sonya grumbled angrily and started to head to her own tent.

But as she prepared to enter, she caught a glimpse of a silhouette in the nearby woods.

"Hello?" she called out, silently.

The figure didn't answer, it only run back into the woods. Rather than alert the others, Sonya decided to pursue this stranger herself. If he was one of Shao Kahn's spies, she could handle him.

Taking pursuit, Sonya tracked the woods for nearly 10 minutes, beginning to wonder if she had just been seeing things. She stopped to pant and catch her breath.

Unknown to her, the stranger that she had been tracking had been meaning to lure her out. Silently, he approached her from behind, and before Sonya knew he was there, he struck her on the back of her head with one of his hookswords at the blunt side.

Sonya almost instantly, fell over unconscious, the mysterious man then picked up Sonya's unconscious body and threw her over his shoulder. With that, he departed, taking Sonya away into the night.


End file.
